Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors
by Venussail
Summary: After the defeat of Chaos, the sailor senshi have a new enemy to fight. However, this enemy has minions that seem strangely familiar. I promise this is better than it sounds. Really! Rating strictly for violence purposes.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hey out there. If anybody is out there (I hope so)…. Anyway, this is my first fanfic ever! I really hope you all enjoy it. If you do, kindly leave a review. I'd love to know how I can improve in my writing, in order to deliver better chapters in the future. As part of this, I'm going to need at least **one** review before I post anymore chapters (I hope I'm not crossing a line here, being a new writer and all). By the way any spelling and grammar mistakes are my fault, as I do not currently have a beta. One last thing before I leave you. No flames, I repeat, NO FLAMES, from people who hate _Sailor Moon_. I don't need to hear it, it's your own fault you read the fic in the first place.

Disclaimer: _Sailor Moon_ and all related properties belong to Miss Naoko Takeuchi and Toei animation. I own nothing *sobs*.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Prologue

It was eleven o' clock at night. The air outside was slightly chilly due to the fact that fall was drawing near. The full moon, high in the sky, shone brightly upon the city of Tokyo. The night was calm, no robberies or murders being committed, no loud noises waking everyone from their sleep, and being that Chaos had been driven into his own dimension (A/N: yeah, this takes place shortly after the final arc of the show), no supernatural villains lurking about. Or at least that's how it seemed.

In an empty park, the moon cast its light upon two lone figures. One of them was a girl somewhere in her teenage years, and the other was a woman who looked like she was in her early twenties. The girl was wearing a simple purple sweater and jeans. She had reddish hair tied up in a ponytail that matched her beautiful emerald eyes. However, this beautiful face was marred by an expression of terror. The woman standing in front of her had long purple hair that looked like it was made into a cat ear style at the top, and she wore a purple ballerina-esque outfit to match, complete with purple high heels. In her right hand was a red ball that was emanating evil energy, hence the reason for the girl's horrified expression. Once she saw the crystal ball, she scrunched her face up in fear and started to run. Unfortunately for her, a red beam shot out from the crystal ball and hit her square in the back. Out of her body came an orange flower, which opened up to reveal a diamond-shaped crystal inside of it. The crystal floated up, glowed briefly, and then turned black.

The girl lay on the ground. She was quickly fading away. During this time, the cat-eared lady came over, snatched up the crystal, and proceeded to teleport back to wherever she came from. Shortly after she was gone, the body of the poor girl faded away completely, never to return….

A/N: The descriptions of the characters sound familiar, no? If you think you know who they are, leave their names in your review. I'll tell you whether you're right or wrong.


	2. Chapter 1: Creation Explanation

A/N: Well, I didn't get any reviews for my story and I know I said I required one for the next part of the story to be uploaded, but I decided to upload this chapter anyway. I attribute my lack of review to the fact that I had anonymous reviews disabled (or at least I hope that's the reason). Sorry to anyone who did want to leave a review anonymously, but I do have that setting enabled now, so if you do want to review that way, now you can. I'm not going to require any reviews for the next chapter (though they would be very nice…). Instead, I want at least thirty hits for my story (15 people read it last time, so I'd like that number to be doubled). If I do get one review before that point however, I will upload the next chapter sooner (I know this one took over two weeks, but I didn't realize my mistake until yesterday). Enough of my blabbering, now on to chapter one!

Disclaimer: I do not own _Sailor Moon_ or any of its related properties, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi, who did a much better job than I would have.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 1: Creation Explanation

"Very good, Cooan." In a dark, almost pitch- black, room tweleve figures stood, seven of them in front of mirrors that had black crystals behind them brimming with negative energy. The other five were at the forefront of the room, which had zero decoration save for the black cross on the room's only door. They were facing the other seven, eyes set on one cat-ear hairdo, purple clad woman in particular. "Thank you," the woman, Cooan, said to the group who had just complimented her.

"Now just because we have had one successful mission does not mean we have time to slack off. Our goal is to meet our ambitions with as little intervention from the sailor senshi as possible. We must get as much done as we can before they notice something is amiss. That being said, while you can all have the rest of the night off, we must execute the next mission no later than tomorrow night. Any volunteers?"

A somewhat tall man with spiky pink hair, brown gloves, and wearing a short toga that reached down just below his waist, the rest of him being covered up with light purple tights and loafers, stepped forward. "I will take on the next mission," he said. "And since I can see that you're fretting about the interference of the sailor senshi, let me reassure you that if they get in my way, I will either destroy them or die at their hands. Though, I doubt it will come to that."

"Very well then Hawk's- Eye, you shall be the next one to bring back a star seed. Keep in mind that you will be expected to keep your high-risk promise (A/N: Hawk's-Eye always seemed like a cocky character who was a total suck- up to me, so that's why I'm having him lay his life down so early. Also, I don't want this fic to be overly long. That would bore people after a while)." Hawk's- Eye nodded, showing that he understood that there was no turning back now. When the five commanders left, the pink- haired man's lips curled up in an evil smirk as he thought about how much praise he was going to receive when he came back with not only the star seed of their next victim, but those of the sailor senshi as well.

-------Scene Change----------------------

In a temple in the middle of Tokyo, Japan, our favorite heroines were sitting around a table, studying for their upcoming final exams. Well, at least some of them were.

"Usagi!!!!" The sleeping blonde awoke from her pleasant dreams with a high- pitched scream that made her friends cover their ears. "Jeez, Rei, do you hafta be so loud?!," the now awake Usagi said to the person who woke her up. "What do you expect me to do? You sleep like you're dead. Simple prodding won't wake someone like you up," Rei responded with a sneer. "You're so mean, Rei!" Usagi countered, which began the daily ritual of the pigtailed girl and the Shinto priestess arguing with one another like a couple of five year olds. The other three girls simply sighed and shook their heads, having known this would happen eventually.

After about a minute of the bickering, their blue haired friend had had enough of her friends' antics. With as much strength as she could muster, she yelled (A/N: ZOMG, Ami yelling!), "STOP IT!!!" The arguing immediately ceased and everybody else sitting around the table stared at her in shock. The usually quiet girl blushed as red as a tomato before speaking again, feeling the need to explain her outburst. "For the past week since we started having these study sessions, you two have done nothing but argue." She looked towards Usagi and Rei as she said this. "I wish you two could buckle down for once and stop the usual back and forth banter, and replace it with some productive studying. Neither of you want to stay back in the 10th grade, am I correct (A/N: Since they dealt with Galaxia at the beginning of 10th grade, I decided they would finish the last month or so of the year with a new enemy, which gives them a few months of break time)?"

The two hot tempered girls lowered their head and muttered a feeble "No…." before preparing themselves to go back to the drudgery that is studying. Just as they were about to get to work, they heard the scream of a certain former rocker outside on the temple grounds. "Yuuihiro!" Rei shouted, chills going up her spine as she sensed an evil presense. "We have to hurry and go help him, scat!" Makoto said in a rushed tone. The five girls hurried out of the temple to save their friend.

Upon exiting the temple, the girls saw Hawk's- Eye shooting a beam out of a pink crystal ball that matched his hair straight at Yuuichiro. "How?! I thought he was on our side now and in a totally different world! Why is he a villain again and why is he here again?!" Makoto rambled, a frantic and confused expression on her face. We can't worry about that now! We have to save Yuuichiro! Mi-na, henshin yo! (1)" Minako said. The others nodded and started shouted their phrases that would turn them into the defenders of justice. "Venus Crystal Power, Make- Up!" "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make- Up!" "Mars Crystal Power, Make- Up!" Mercury Crystal Power, Make- Up!" "Moon Eternal, Make- Up!"

Hawk's- Eye glared toward the multi- colored lights he saw out of the corner of his eye, and saw that his unwanted guests had arrived. "Fire Soul!" the red and purple clad senshi shouted. The fireball that came from her fingers it the villain's hand, making him drop his pink orb of evil. Upon hitting the ground, the crystal shattered into little diamond shaped shards.

Instead of getting upset at the fact that he obviously failed in his mission to etract Yuuichiro's star seed, he simply looked at his enemies with a calm expression on his face and said with an air of wit, "What? No speech?" Sailor Moon chose to ignore the toga guy's comment, opting to get some answers from him instead.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Hawk's- Eye?!" "What makes you think I'm not the real Hawk's- Eye? I don't look any different, do I?" a smug Hawk- Eye replied. "You may look the same, but there's no way you're the real Hawk's- Eye! He's on the side of good now!" Moon said with a power in her voice that could shake the boots of any normal human being. This impersonator, however, was unaffected. "You know," he began, "I never would have guessed that the ditzy one of your group would be able to figure me out." Moon huffed at this snide remark.

"Fine, I'll tell you who I am. I am the Shadow Warrior Hawk's- Eye, formed on the Shadow Planet from the evil the real Hawk's- Eye unintentionally expelled from his body when he switched over to your side. Because he wasn't destroyed by you, the he originally had in his heart wasn't destroyed either. But being that it couldn't stay in his now purified body, it fled and was free to roam wherever it pleased. The Shadow Planet knew this, and called it forth to create a minion to do his bidding (A/N: i.e. the planet's bidding). I am that minion."

Once he finally finished his explanation, there were a few moments of silence as the senshi stared, trying to absorb this new information. Finally, Sailor Jupiter spoke up. "There are three things I can't stand- bullies, cheaters, and posers. And you are a poser!" The fake Hawk's- Eye chuckled at her words. "If you hate me so much, then why are you standing there blabbering about it when you could be doing something about it? Luckily for you, I speak moron, so you don't need to act upon your words, I'll do it for you! Let's fight!" The senshi stood ready or battle and responded in unison- "You're on!" Thus, the battle between the forces of good and evil has been waged once again…

-----------------------

A/N: A cheesy ending, I know. But it's also a cliffy! Yay, my first cliffy! As for the "purified" thing, I exaggerated a bit to suit the story. Well, I hope you all liked this chapter and stay tuned for Chapter Two! Ja ne!

(1) Everyone, transform now!


	3. Chapter 2: The First Battle of Many

A/N: OMG! My story more than doubled the amount of hits it had in one day! That makes me so happy! No reviews though….*makes sad face* By the way, I know my chapters are very short, but I can't promise that they will get much longer. I have six and a half chapters written down on paper already, where it looks much longer. However, I plan to have a fairly large amount of chapters (no idea on the exact amount, though), so that will hopefully make up for it. On to a different topic, for my next chapter to be posted, I would like at least 100 hits (only 36 more to go, not as large a number as it seems), or, of course, one review. Now, Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: As much as I may wish to, I don't own Sailor Moon or any of its related properties. They all belong to the brilliant Naoko Takeuchi.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 2: The First Battle of Many

Hawk's- Eye was the first to attack. He sent a strong gust of wind flying towards the sailor senshi, knocking them into the outer wall of the room they were studying in not long before this ordeal.

"Owww…" Sailor Moon groaned as she struggled to get up. Having recovered from being knocked into the wall, Sailor Venus managed to get an actual statement out. "Since when does he have control over the wind? The real Hawk's- Eye just used various circus objects to attack." "Allow me to explain," Sailor Mercury said. "When the evil entity was expelled from Hawk's- Eye's body, it left behind all of its earthly objects. There was no way for it to use the items upon becoming a person again without help, so the Shadow Planet bestowed it with powers. In this case, those powers come in the form of controlling the wind." "Oh…" Venus said, now fully understanding their current predicament.

"Wait a second," Sailor Mars said as she came to a realization, "If he can control the wind that means he can attack us from any direction!" Sailor Jupiter gave a slight smile when hearing those words, one that was filled with eagerness. "Well then, I guess that just means we have to attack him before he can attack us!" she said with excitement.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she shouted as she flung the disk (A/N: ball?) of lightning in her hand at her enemy. Unfortunately, Hawk's- Eye used his power over the wind to propel himself quickly to the side, avoiding Jupiter's attack. "Wind Slice!" Numerous curved blades formed of wind barraged the senshi, who tried to no avail to dodge, only successfully avoiding a few of the blades. "Man, it cuts like a knife," Mars hissed in pain while holding her right leg, which had gotten a fairly deep cut from one of the deadly wind blades.

Hawk's- Eye started to gather wind for a much bigger attack that he was sure would finish the senshi off in their weakened state. Just as he was nearing completion, a yellow orb of energy hit him from behind, knocking him forward and into the ground. As he was getting up to see who his attacker was, rose petals flew across the battlefield with an air of grace. Upon seeing this, nobody had to guess as to who the three figures standing side by side were.

The one with the short tan hair was the first to speak. "Guided by the planet Uranus, I'm Sailor Uranus, soldier of the sky," the tall woman said with authority.

"Guided by the planet Neptune, I'm Sailor Neptune, soldier of the sea," the shorter woman with the flowing aquamarine hair standing next to Sailor Uranus said as she introduced herself.

The woman with long green hair spoke last. "Guided by the planet Pluto, I'm Sailor Pluto, soldier of revolution," she said as she spun her staff around her head and struck it on the ground (A/N: Yes, I realize Pluto isn't a planet, but it was considered one at the time the series was made, so for the purpose of staying true to the series I will leave it as such. Also, it would be kind of weird to hear Pluto say she was guided by a rock. O.o).

Then in unison, the new arrivals said, "We are the sailor senshi of the outer solar system, and we're here to punish you!" "Uranus, Neptune, Pluto!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, "You're here!" None of the outer senshi said anything, simply nodding and smiling instead.

Hawk's- Eye's mind raced thinking about the situation he was in. Now he had a total of eight do- gooders (A/N: Is that a word?) out to get him. While he had expected Sailor Moon and her comrades to arrive at some point, he wasn't expecting the Outer Senshi to join the fight.

Sailor Venus noticed that the spiky- haired man was lost in thought, and took this opportunity to make her move. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she shouted as she sent a yellow heart flying at her distracted enemy. Hawk's- Eye didn't see this coming, and the blast hit him dead- on. He screamed in pain as his body felt the effects of the deadly love. He stumbled a bit, but managed not to fall.

Being that he was aware of his surroundings once again, the imposter floated upwards and released his wind slice at the opponents on either side of him. Since neither group had to avoid the full barrage of the attack, they managed to dodge it unscathed. Sailor Pluto retaliated by releasing her Dead Scream, which Hawk's- Eye barely managed to avoid getting hit by. Another attack was making its way towards him, so the best he could do was dodge, missing his chance to fight back.

"How long are we going to keep playing this little game of cat and mouse, toga boy?" Neptune mocked in response Hawk's- Eye's constant dodging. He made a snarl before lifting the outer senshi off the ground with his wind powers and slamming them back down after they had reached a fairly high altitude.

The three warriors were now lying semi- conscious on the ground, bewildered because of the attack they had not seen coming. Hawk's- Eye was relishing too much in the success of his efforts to notice a flaming arrow coming at him from behind (A/N: I hope I'm not making Hawk's- Eye too OOC, for all the times I've watched SuperS I should have a pretty good grasp on his character). He was knocked to the ground, landing near the outer senshi, who were now making an attempt to get up.

"Shabon (Bubble) Spray!" Mercury shouted, releasing her light blue ball of energy, creating a cold fog that covered the entire area and concealed her allies from their enemy. The outers took this opportunity to retreat into the fog.

Not one to be fooled by such tricks, Hawk's- Eye knew just how to handle this situation. He created a cyclone in order to dispel the fog. "Oh no! He's getting rid of the fog!" Venus cried out in concern. "I had a feeling this would happen," Mercury stated. "On the bright side, he's focusing so much on getting rid of my fog that he won't see us attacking him. If we act now, we can end this fight, no problem."

"Let us start the attack," Uranus volunteered. She proceeded to jump up and kick the cyclone- maker in his side, knocking him to toward the ground and breaking his concentration, causing his homemade cyclone to disappear. Before he reached the ground, Sailor Jupiter went under him and punched him in the gut, putting him back up in the air.

As he floated there, doubled over, Sailor Mars began an incantation- "Rin, Pyou, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Now that her scroll was prepared, she jumped up, stuck, the scroll on his back, and shouted, "Akuryo Taisan!" The Shadow Warrior felt a surge of energy flow through his body, paralyzing him as he was trying to stand upright. "This is your chance. Get rid of him now, Sailor Moon!" Pluto commanded. "Right!" Sailor Moon responded. She called her Eternal Tier to her hands, did the required sequence, and yelled the words, "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" A yellow beam of light full of feathers shot out from the tip of the Eternal Tier, hitting Hawk's- Eye dead-on, destroying him.

"Whew, glad that's over!" Sailor Moon said, relieved that the battle was finally finished. There were a few moments of silence before anybody spoke, too tired from the rough fight to speak so soon. Sailor Neptune gathered her strength enough to talk, and told her comrades to meet at the temple tomorrow at four o' clock. Nobody questioned why, just nodding their heads in agreement. The group disbanded for the night, each going to their respective homes with thoughts of the latest threat to Earth on their minds.

A/N: Yay! My first battle scene finished. It was probably really crappy, but I'll improve. By the way, I want to know your opinions on whether or not I should have an underlying romantic theme in the story. The pairings I have in mind are:

Usagi and Mamoru

Usagi and Seiya

Ami and Urawa

Rei and Yuuichiro

Haruka and Michiru will more than likely have some romantic interaction no matter which pairing you guys choose. I plan on keeping Makoto and Minako, as well as Setsuna, Hotaru, and Chibi-Usa, single. Leave your vote in a review! Jan ne!


	4. Chapter 3:The Antics of Minako and Usagi

A/N: I am so happy! ^_^ I finally got a review! Thank you so much SailorPrincess1237! So, anyway, enough of my excitement. Here is Chapter 3 of Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors. I know it's really short, but it's not overly essential to the plot. It's just for fun, and to give a break from the heaviness of the story. I'm sorry for those who wanted something more, but I hope you give this chapter a chance and get a little laugh out of it as well. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: As much as I may hope, plead, and give sacrificial offerings in order to get them, I do not own the rights to Sailor Moon. They are the property of Naoko Takeuchi (lucky devil).

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 3: The Antics of Minako and Usagi

The next day, everyone headed off to the temple to conduct whatever plans Neptune had in sore for them. Most of them arrived promptly at four, others arrived early. By the time the event was supposed to commence, there were eight people standing in a circle on the temple grounds. The eight people were the following- Ami, Rei, Makoto, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Chibi- Usa, and Hotaru. There were supposed to be ten people, but numbers nine and ten were missing, causing the other eight to become aggravated.

It was now 4:30, and Rei's patience was wearing thin. "Where are those two?!" she screamed in frustration. "Who knows? They could be just about anywhere, knowing them," Makoto sighed. "Well they better get here soon, or they're really gonna get it next time I see them," Rei growled. Nobody decided to comment or object to Rei's threat.

In the Crown Arcade, the blonde partners in crime were finishing up a game of "Sailor V 2.0". They had heard about the game during the school day from Umino, who saw the game ship there on his way to school. After school was over, Usagi and Minako ahd planned on going to the temple like Sailor Neptune had told them to, but got distracted along the way by the thought of the arcade and its latest game. Making Ami and Makoto believe they were just taking a detour to pick something up for their parents (A/N: Poor excuse, I know, but I couldn't think of anything even remotely believable, but hey, it's Minako and Usagi, after all. Just go with it.), they waited until their friends were out of sight before heading back towards the arcade.

They spent two hours taking turns playing the new "Sailor V" game without realizing how much time had passed. Motoki notice that they were the only ones there, meaning they were supposed to be somewhere else, as they usually traveled with their whole group (A/N: i.e. Ami, Rei, and Makoto). He stood behind them and cleared his throat to get their attention. Once he had it, he asked the simplest of questions- "Where are the others? You two are normally with them." However, he didn't get the simplest of answers from the now sweat- dropping pair.

"Well," Minako began, "Mako- chan said she had to clean her house for our sleepover tonight, Ami had cram school, and Rei is taking her crows to the vet's," she lied. "Uh- huh, those poor sick birdies," Usagi backed her up. Motoki was ready to believe them until they mentioned that last part. "Since when does Rei take her crows to the vet's?" he inquired. "Since… now!" Minako said in a desperate attempt to cover up her blatant lie. "So you two aren't sneaking off behind their backs when you're supposed to be meeting them about now?" Motoki asked, a stern look on his face. "Busted…" Usagi said. Minako glared at her for opening her fat trap. "I knew it. Both of you are to go now, I'm not about to have Rei bite off my head again."

Usagi and Minako reluctantly sulked out of the arcade, mumbling something about how Rei's attitude is and how they never get to have any fun. On their way to the temple, Luna and Artemis spied them and proceeded to give them a lecture about their unexcused tardiness. Usagi countered, saying they were late too, but found out they actually had a viable excuse.

"Thanks a lot, you two! You made us later than we already were!" Minako yelled at the cats with crescent moons on their foreheads. Usagi wanted to add something to what Minako had said, but didn't feel like hearing another lecture, so she decided against it. They reluctantly trudged off to the Hikawa Temple, only to find that everyone had left. Clutching their heads in frustration, they were about to scream when they heard the doors to the temple shrine open. In order to avoid Rei's wrath, they raced off faster than you can say Usagi is a klutz five times fast, retreating into their homes.

A/N: I don't really have much to say here. There is one thing I wish to remind you all of, though. Voting is still on for the pairings in this story, if you want any at all. In order to get your vote in, you must leave it in a review. Think of it this way, if your pairing makes it into the story, you have actually helped me in the writing process, even if it is done anonymously. If you need a reminder on the pairing options, check the last chapter. However, I will also take suggestions into account. Well, that's it for now. Please review! Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 4: The Meeting

A/N: Whew, I barely got this chapter in by my (self assigned) deadline. Anyway, I still don't have more than one review for my chapter (makes sad face). I have a lot of hits though (eyes viewers suspiciously). Please, people, I need reviews! They make me upload faster, and, in the case of this fic, decides the romantic pairings! I really don't care if you do it anonymously, just that I get some. I hope I don't sound high- strung here, but reviews are really nice. Besides, I'll give you a virtual cookie (no, not the bad kind, the kind where you pretend I'm giving you a home- baked cookie). Enough of my whining- on with the fic!

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 4: The Meeting

Ten sailor warriors were grouped together within the walls of the Hikawa Temple shrine. There were also three cats there, one black, one white, and one with a purplish- gray color, but all of them had crescent moon symbols on their foreheads. After failing to gather everyone together yesterday because of two certain blondes, the meeting that had been planned for the day prior was finally underway.

"Okay," Luna started, "as you all know, a new threat to Earth has come from the far reaches of outer space." "Yeah, they said they were from some place called the Shadow Planet, but I've never heard of it before," Rei said. "I did a little research, ad found that no scientist recognizes the so- called planet as a planet. In fact, they can't even pinpoint what it _is_ made out of. Not only that, but it appears to have come out of nowhere. Normally, a planet takes million of years to form (A/N: I got a D in Earth science as a final grade, so don't take my word for it), and the scientists would have noticed it starting to form," Ami said, a quizzical look on her face. "Ugh... confusing..." Usagi felt dizzy all of the sudden, not comprehending what her blue- haired friend was saying. "We couldn't get very clear readings on the planet either," Artemis pouted, losing faith in moon technology. "This enemy is powerful, too. The seas have been thrashing around violently ever since their appearance," Michiru stated with a grave tone of voice. Haruka clutched her hand tightly, looking into her eyes with concern.

Usagi saw this and couldn't help but think of Mamoru, her handsome boyfriend was studying abroad in the U.S. for one year since he missed his chance to do so while the Shadow Galactica was around. She thought of how powerful this new enemy was, and how it wouldn't exactly hurt to have Tuxedo Kamen around. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize what was going on around her. Makoto was currently trying to snap her ditzy friend out of her daze state. Seeing no other option, she sighed and slapped her lightly one her back. That sure was enough to bring Usagi back to Earth. Even a light slap from someone at strong as Makoto stung. She looked around the room to find that everyone was staring at her.

"Jeez, Usagi, you're always spacing out!" Chibi- Usa snapped. It was times like these when Usagi wondered how this pink- haired brat ended up being her future daughter. The two began bickering. Hotaru giggled, always amused by their antics. "Enough!" Ami shouted. For the second time in only three days she had managed to shock her friends. "We have to get down to business," she stated seriously. Future mother and daughter became totally mute, not wanting their normally docile friend to yell again.

"Oh my gosh!" Minako screamed out of the blue. "What is it?!" Usagi asked frantically. All Minako did in response was give her friends a saddened look and point at the television. "Funeral processions will be held today for 16- year old Unazuki, who died last week from unknown circumstances (A/N:They are assuming since they haven't found her in a week that she is dead. I know that doesn't make any sense, but hey, this story is a fiction. Go creative license!). Looks like they already claimed their first victim," Setsuna said. Tears started to form in Usagi's eyes, and within seconds she as crying her eyes out. Rei put a supportive hand on her shoulder to try and ease her pain. The blonde looked up at her and gave her a small smile indicating her gratitude.

"The situation is worse than we thought. We need to make a game plan and we need to do it now!" Luna pressed. "I've got a plan, and it's simple too. We keep constant watch on the city and when trouble arises, we'll send whoever is nearest to the location of the problem to fix it, "Haruka proposed. "I call day shift!" the pigtailed girl ditzily cried. The whole room sweat dropped. "Baka Usagi, the computers will keep watch for us!" the Shinto priestess taunted. Usagi glared at Rei. Rei glared back at Usagi. Seeing a fight coming, Makoto asked, "Well, what does everyone think of the plan?" "It's obviously fine with the four of us, right Hotaru?" Michiru said, referencing the outer senshi. the raven- haired girl nodded, showing her aquiescense. "What about you guys?" Hotaru asked. "Sounds good to us," Minako said as her friends nodded their heads.

"Meeting adjourned! Now we can finally get out of here! Let's hurry, Minako, the arcade closes in an hour!" "Yikes! Well, we need to get going, bye!" The two blondes dashed out of the room at the speed of light. "Those two..." Haruka trailed off. Michiru smiled at her, always in amazement as to how Usagi and her little group managed to grow on them, even after their initial quarreling. The rest of the group disbanded shortly afterwards, each returning to their respective homes.

------Scene Change-------

Meanwhile, in the villains' lair, five dark figures stood around a giant orb, chanting an incantation. A dark green light started to form in the middle of the huge orb. As the five figures finished their incantation, the dark green light manifested itself into a beam and shot out of the orb, hitting the floor in front of them. The shape of a human being slowly started to form. When finished, the leader of the five villains chuckled, "It's nice to have an old friend of the sailor senshi back i the physical world." The now fully formed figure had a glint in their eyes, and said with a smirk, "Good to be back...."

A/N: Ooh, wonder who it is? Well, I know, and if you want to take a guess, leave it in a review and I will tell you whether you are right or wrong before I post the next chapter. You can also leave your vote for pairings, as voting is still on. Well, that's all for now! R&R please! Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 5: It's That Laugh Again

A/N: Hey everybody, I'm back with a new chapter. You might notice that for the past couple updates I have waited almost a week. The reason for that is two-fold. One, I've been writing the story more often (I'm working on chapter nine now), and two I STILL ONLY HAVE ONE REVIEW! I don't mean to sound cruel, but it's true when authors say that reviews make them update faster because we really appreciate viewer feedback and with 212 views, I should be getting some more. So please, R&R! On that note, on with the fic!

Disclaimer (which I forgot to do last time): I do not own the rights to Sailor Moon, as I am not the manga writer Naoko Takeuchi, which explains why I'm doing this. However, I do own Mizuki, an original character you will see in this chapter. Respect that, and please don't use her without my permission!

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 5: It's That Laugh Again...

"Everyone, we'd like to introduce you to the latest member of our group, Esmeraude," the dark masters said to their underlings. Tiger's-Eye, a tall man with a long mane of orange hair, tiger-striped tights, long black boots, a cropped white sleeveless shirt, long white gloves, and a red headband looked up at his superiors with a disgruntled look on his face. "Now don't tell me you're replacing Hawk's-Eye with... (grimaces)... **her**," Tiger's-Eye said with a look of disgust on his face. "Don't worry, we're not planning on replacing your precious fallen comrade with our latest recruit (A/N: i.e. she won't be the third one in the Amazon Trio)," one of the superiors said calmly. Tiger's-Eye didn't seem to believe them, but dropped the subject anyway.

The long-green haired woman with the Black Moon Clan insignia on her forehead seemed amused by the clone of a former Dead Moon Circus member. One of the dark figures spoke up. "To repay us for bringing you back form the far reaches of death, you shall be the next person to go out on a mission. However, we are not planning on letting you die so soon after your resurrection." Esmeraude did not seem pleased with this statement. She clutched the fluffy pink fan she had in her right hand tightly. "Therefore," the one leader continued, "We will equip you with one of the few monsters we have in stock." Controlling her anger, Esmeraude held out her hand to receive the little purple orb floating toward her. "Thank you," she said and teleported to find the next star seed.

Esmeraude reappeared hovering above the city of Tokyo. From her spot in the air, she scanned the area below her, searching for her victim. Not finding anyone suitable by her standards, she changed into her disguise in a flash of green light and descended upon the ground below. "Hmm... maybe I should check out some stores for a suitable star seed holder. After all, I'd be killing two birds with one stone. I can get a new outfit to celebrate my resurrection and complete my mission all in one. Besides, one shouldn't be out of style, now should they?" She cackled as she headed towards the nearest clothing store, hurting the ears of anybody in the surrounding area.

The villainess wasn't the only one with shopping on the brain. In a privately owned department sore in the Juuban district called Mizuki's, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Chibi- Usa, and Hotaru were shopping. The owner of the store, Mizuki, was a short woman, no more than five feet tall. She had short black hair in a pixie-cut hairdo, a somewhat pudgy build, and large brown orbs for eyes. Ironically, her store was filled with outrageous clothing that only certain people can manage to pull off, yet she dressed very conservatively, wearing professional looking, all black attire. Mizuki, friendly person that she is, noticed her new customers (A/N: i.e. Usagi and friends) looking at her merchandise and decided to go chat it up with them. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for the notorious idol chaser, Aino Minako.

As anybody who pays attention to the fashion industry knows, Mizuki is a hot commodity right now, her face plastered on thousands of fashion magazines around the world. That level of fame makes her a prime target for the celeb-crazy teen, who was gushing over her and asking for her autograph.

However, her fame doesn't just have the drawback of getting chased by celebrity obsessed teens. From the back of the store, the former member of the Black Moon Clan stood watching her target, waiting for the best time to strike. She saw her chance when Mizuki disbanded from Usagi's group and started heading toward her office. Esmeraude changed out of her disguise and into her regular outfit, then took out a pitch-black crystal ball which shot a black beam out at the famous fashion designer, hitting her square in the back. She screamed in pain, making shoppers turn their heads to see what could possibly cause such a horrible sound. When they saw the supernatural event taking place , they ran, fearing for their lives. The villainess cackled at the sight.

"Ugh, what is that noise?" Makoto questioned, covering her ears. "It sounds awfully familiar..." Rei grimaced. "Almost like..." Minako's eyes grew to the size of saucers and she ended her statement without finishing. Chibi-Usa finished for her- "Esmeraude!" she gasped. "We have to act now, or Mizuki could be killed!" Ami said urgently. "Right!" the rest shouted in unison. "Moon Eternal..." "Mercury Crystal Power..." "Mars Crystal Power..." "Jupiter Crystal Power..." "Venus Crystal Power..." "Moon Crisis..." Saturn Crystal Power..." "Make-Up!" they all shouted together.

Esmeraude was just about to finish the extraction of Mizuki's star seed when she saw a familiar group of sailor-suited heroines out of the corner of her eye. "Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus's crescent beam shot from her right index finger with a speed rivaling that of lightning. The yellow beam knocked the black orb of evil out of Esmeraude's hand, effectively stopping her wicked act. Luckily, the green haired woman managed to catch the orb before it smashed to the ground. while she was busy doing that, Sailor Mercury went over to Mizuki, who was passed out cold. Once assured the store owner's vitals were okay, the girls with the blessing of the planets turned to face their scowling enemy.

"Hey, zombie!" Sailor Moon started her speech. Esmeraude felt her temper rise at the insult. "Who do you think you are attacking such a wonderful fashion designer? It's unforgivable!" Sailor Moon continued and delivered her big finisher. "For love and justice, the pretty soldier in the sailor suit, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!" Esmeraude stared at her opposition for a bit before smirking and opening her fat trap to deliver a cackle more ear drum- shattering than the screech of a harpy. The senshi covered their ears in pain. "We have got to get rid of that laugh," Sailor Jupiter stated clearly. "Yeah, it's time to shut her up once and for all!" Sailor Chibi-Moon shouted.

TBC

A/N: It may seem like an akward cut, but I felt the chapter needed to end there. Stay tuned for the next chapter! And don't forget to R&R! Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 6: Mirror, Mirror

A/N: Happy holidays! ^_^ This chapter shall be my gift to all of you for the holiday season. My last battle scene got me a review, maybe this one will too? Eh, maybe that's wishful thinking, but a guy can always hope, can't he? Anyway, I'm starting to make no sense, so on with the fic!

Disclaimer: They were on my wish list, but I still didn't get the rights to Sailor Moon and all of its related properties. Naoko Takeuchi still has them. (sobs)

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 6: Mirror, Mirror

"Take that!" Esmeraude shot a mass of negative green and black energy at the sailor senshi. The defenders of justice dodged the attack and Sailor Mars retaliated- "Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted and sent her flaming arrow flying towards her enemy. The green haired villainess evaded and dropped a small bracelet on the ground (1).

Sailor Venus looked at the black piece of jewelry lying on the ground, wondering why anybody would throw away such a thing. "This fight's not mine. Meet your true opponent, Impersana!" Esmeraude shouted calling forth her minion. The bracelet shot a pillar of black light upwards, making the entire room pitch black. "What's going on?!" Sailor Moon asked with fear present in her voice, being that she was terrified of the dark. "Looks like we're about to find out," Sailor Jupiter said, noticing light was returning to the store.

Once the room was fully lit, the senshi saw a silver figure in the shape with long silver hair and ice blue, glowing eyes. She didn't have a mouth, nor a spec of clothing on. Luckily the rest of her wasn't detailed either, simply taking the shape with a silver skin color, just like when the senshi transform (A/N: Ha, take that you perverts!)

The two opposing sides stood still for a moment, waiting for the other side to attack. Jupiter got tired of waiting and decided to make the first move. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she shouted and threw her lightning attack at the odd monster, who countered with a silver beam. The two attacks clashed, but instead of pushing against one another until one or both died out, the monster's beam engulfed the green and pink senshi's attack. Said beam then retreated back to its owner, who absorbed it into her body. "Uhhh...." Sailor Moon said, having never seen anything quite like that before.

Sparkles of golden light swirled around Impersana, altering her form. the sparkles dissipated after doing their job, leaving a carbon copy of Sailor Jupiter in their wake. Sailor Chibi-Moon stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. "Man, this monster keeps getting weirder and weirder..." she trailed off. Taking advantage of her enemies' shock, Impersana attacked using her own Sparkling Wide Pressure, aiming it towards the ground. The attack exploded, sending the senshi flying a good few feet. "Man, that hurt," Moon stated, rubbing her sore backside. "You know, one never realizes how strong they are until their own power is used against them," Sailor Mercury noted.

Esmeraude cackled at the sight of her enemies struggling to get up. "Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars shot her rings of fire at Impersana, who one again shot her beam out, hitting Mars's attack, capturing it, and returning it to her body, which then absorbed it. Now, after the change, stood a fake Sailor Mars instead of a phony Sailor Jupiter.

"What'd you do that for, Mars?!" Sailor Moon shouted angrily at the firey senshi. "I didn't think she could use the beam in that form!" Mars yelled back. "Why wouldn't she be able to?! Even if she's in a different form, she obviously has her own attacks nonetheless!" The normally ditzy senshi screamed. "You're no better! I can't even count the number of times you've been tricked by our enemies!" "My one mistake shouldn't-" "Look out!" Venus interrupted. The bickering comrades turned their heads just in time to see the oncoming attack- a copy of Mars's rings of fire. "Silent Wall!" Sailor Saturn jumped in front of the attack and formed a strong barrier. The flaming rings hit the barrier, and after a bit of struggling, were no more.

"It seems the only way to defeat this monster is by using physical attacks," Saturn stated in her usual monotone. "Fine with me," Jupiter said, cracking her knuckles. She charged at the monster, sending a flurry of punches and kicks that any normal person would have a hard time dodging. Unfortunately, an evil being such as this had no problem avoiding the onslaught of attacks, and when the toughest of the inner senshi had a momentary lapse of speed, the creature punched her in the gut, sending her flying right into a rack of clothes. The monster then proceeded to send another round of fire rings at the remaining senshi. Once again, Saturn put up her Silent Wall just as the attack was about to hit.

"This is getting repetitive. I'm sick of dealing with you already," the senshi of death and rebirth said with inflection present in her voice for once. She jumped up, holding her scythe high, and sliced down one she reached her copy-cat enemy. The monster dodged to the left and shot her silver beam at the purple and black clad senshi. Without thinking, Saturn put up her Silent Wall. Impersana removed the shield from in front of her. Taking it and absorbing it, she made the useful defensive maneuver her own. However, the monster unexpectedly retained her current shape and used Mars's Burning Mandala attack against Saturn at close range, which didn't give her enough time to defend herself. She collapsed to the ground, burn marks covering her body.

"Double Sailor Moon Kick!" Impersana looked up as two pigtailed senshi came flying towards her like missiles. Just as she was abut to get hit, a mass of green and black energy hit he opponents, knocking them out of the air. The moment they hit the ground, Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury charged a their foes. With a smirk on her face, Impersana switched to Saturn's form and put up her own Silent Wall. Venus and Mercury tried to slow down, but because of the speed and fury they were running with, they ended up skidding into to the barrier, getting electrocuted and thrown back.

"Nothing's working!" Sailor Jupiter shouted in frustration. "I would use my anti-evil scrolls, but I don't want to chance her absorbing those and using them against us," Mars said. "Got any ideas, Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked hoping the smartest girl she knew would have some sort of plan brewing in her giant brain. "Sorry, no," Mercury said dejectedly. "I've already scanned the monster and have found no weak points we can take advantage of." The other senshi groaned at this, while Esmeraude unleashed her terrible cackle.

"Even the brightest among you can't come up with a plan? Now I know you are all doomed!" she laughed before her expression turned solemn. "Now, if you give up Mizuki's star seed, I would be willing to spare your lives. You're obviously at a disadvantage, so there's no point in even trying to save this woman, Impersana is a near perfect being. The possibility of you beating her is slight. Your best bet is to just run along and do you homework like good little girls. At least doing that is productive." Esmeraude finished her statement with a devious smirk

The sailor senshi were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They knew the odds were against them, but it was their duty to protect the innocent. They had no chance but to keep fighting, even if it cost them their lives.

Just as Sailor Moon was about to shout out in defiance, a ball of light came out of nowhere and hit the villainesses dead on. Struggling to get up, Esmeraude snarled and looked around the room for her hidden attackers. The senshi did the same, ad they did not remember calling for help.

In the middle of their searching, another blast of a different attack hit the evil ones. Getting up for a second time, Esmeraude felt more frustration than she had in a long time. "Come out. damn you!" she shouted, sick of playing hide and go seek.

The defenders of justice were also tiring of this game. While these hidden helpers didn't appear to be enemies, they couldn't be sure that they were allies either. Therefore, they stood on guard in their search, just in case the tables turned on them. Sailor Mercury, always the bright one, realized how futile this search was. Whoever they were searching for was obviously an expert at stealth, so the chances of them being found were slim.

The brainy senshi put her index finger up to the third earring on her right ear and touched it lightly, causing a blue scanner to stream across the upper half of her face. Now that she had the proper tool, she began looking around the room once again. It didn't take long for her to find the person, or rather people, that were refusing to come out. A soft smile formed on her face when she knew she had nothing to worry about. Now the senshi with a mastery over all stages of water could concentrate on her foes. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury encircled her enemy with arctic-level water, which fountained into a pillar before Impersana even realized it. The consequence of the shape-shifter's obliviousness was being encased on a rock hard ice block.

"Sailor Moon, now is your chance!" The ever ditzy senshi turned to face her blue-haired teammate, who was pointing to something in front of her. "Oh!" she said upon realizing what her friend was indicating. Sailor Moon called the Eternal Tier to her hands and performed her finishing attack, Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss, successfully obliterating her ice-ridden foe. Esmeraude didn't even say anything as she teleported back to safe quarters, fed up with how the last half of the battle went and not even bothering to get upset over the loss of something so insignificant as a monster.

Three figures stood n a corner, shrouded in darkness. Evidently, as the senshi realized, these were the people who helped them. Sailor Mercury approached them. "Hello, Starlights...." she said.

A/N: I'll bet you thought the three figures were the outers, huh? Well, maybe not, but I tried anyway. By the way, I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've been really busy due to the holidays, as I'm sure most of you are as well. I promise I'll update sooner nect time. Well, that's all for now! Please R&R! Ja ne!

(1) Yes, I know I said orb in the last chapter, but let's just say (because I forgot what object I used) that Emeraude converted the orb into a bracelet to make it personalized. It may have been a mistake, but maybe this personalization can turn into a trend for each villain? Leave your opinion in a review, I'd love to know what you all think.


	8. Chapter 7:The Return of the 3 Lights

A/N: Happy New Year mi-na! I decided that I would start the year off the right way- by adding a new chapter for all of you faithful viewers to enjoy (yes, all eight of you who actually liked the story enough to read all the chapters posted so far). This isn't a very long chapter (not that any of my chapters are overly long), but I wanted some kind of lead in for the Starlights before the action starts up again. Sorry if it disappoints anyone. I promise the next chapter will be posted before Friday, so you action seekers out there won't have to wait too long. Enough talk, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: Apparently, Naoko Takeuchi's New Year's resolution was not to give me the rights to Sailor Moon and all of its related properties. She still keeps them for herself.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 7: The Return of the Starlights

"Hello, Starlights..." Sailor Mercury repeated. "Stop trying to hide, I know you're there. My scanner detected your presence." One of the figures stepped forward. "Sailor Star Fighter!" the Sailor Team gasped, save for Mercury. The other two stepped forward to stand side by side with their comrade. "Healer and Maker too..." Sailor Venus said.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sailor Jupiter questioned. "Let's not talk about it here," Star Healer said. "There are people coming back into the store, with the police no less. We don't want to be seen as the culprits. The people here aren't as familiar with us as they are with you guys." Sailor Mars nodded her head in understanding. "We can meet at my temple. You'll be safe from the public eye there," she said. Everyone agreed and fled the store through the back entrance so as not to be caught on their way to the Hikawa Shrine.

At the Hikawa Shrine, the ten sailor warriors sat around the table usually devoted to studying, sipping the tea Rei had just brought in. All was silent, making a certain hyperactive blonde with a red bow in her long hair fidget with impatience. She didn't know why the Starlights had suddenly reappeared after such a long time, not that she was complaining about it. It was nice to have them visit. However, she was getting a feeling that this was no ordinary visit, the kind where you just stop and catch up with one another. No, they had definitely come with a purpose, she reasoned. Now that she had that determined, she intended to find out what that purpose was. For someone with little patience to begin with, staying silent when a question was nagging in her mind was nearly impossible. After about five minutes, Minako just couldn't take it anymore!

"So," the senshi of love started off slowly, "What brings you guys here?" she asked. "Trouble," Yaten stated emotionlessly, sipping his tea. "You mean the Shadow Warriors," Ami said. The Three Lights nodded. "Our princess had seen the dark presence on its way to your planet and felt its immense power. She sent us to Earth to aid you in battle, to repay you for all the help you gave us during the conflict with Galaxia," Taiki explained. "Oh, I thought you came to see us..." Usagi pouted. Seiya chuckled, the pigtailed girl's response bringing back fond memories of his time on Earth.

Of all of them, his strongest memory was of the feelings he once had for the girl he affectionately called "Odango." To both their benefits, those feelings had passed. He still loved her, just not in that way. His love for her was now like the love her friends have for her. Seiya accepted the fact that she had a boyfriend already, and decided to focus on his duties as a protector of Princess Kakyuu and as a sailor senshi in general.

"Seiya? Hello, Earth to Seiya!" The Starlight was awakened from his deep thought by the very person he was thinking about. "Gomen nasai, Odango," Seiya said, flustered. "I guess I just dozed off for a bit." "Don't worry, Usagi knows exactly what that feels like, seeing as she does it on a daily basis," Rei teased. "Yeah, just like how Rei criticizes everybody every five seconds," Usagi countered. "I don't criticize people that much!" Rei argued. "Yeah you do!" Usagi shouted. "Do not!" Rei professed, starting to get angry. "Do too!" Usagi insisted. "Do not!" "Do too!" The arguing pair stuck their tongues out at each other, butting their heads and throwing each other glares so heated you could see the electricity emanating from their eyes.

"This is something I didn't miss when we returned home," Yaten sighed, shaking his head. Taiki, on the other hand, was giggling uncontrollably. For someone who didn't laugh often, Usagi's antics always seemed to give him at least a little chuckle. Seiya smiled, glad to see his friend and teammate loosening up a little.

"So," Makoto started, trying to get the focus off of her friends' childish bickering, "What are you guys going to do to earn money during your stay here? Are you going to go back to being the Three Lights?" "Definitely!" Seiya declared with excitement. His silver-haired friend eyed him. "We were considering it, though we haven't decided on any sort of job just yet. We might try and see if we can live off of the revenue we gained from our pop star career last time we were on Earth." "Yaten, you don't know how to have any fun," Seiya said to his stick in the mud teammate. "Well, if you do decide to get into the music industry again, I volunteer to be your manager!" Minako said happily. All in the room, save for Usagi and Rei (who were still bickering) and Minako herself, sweatdropped.

----Scene Change----

Meanwhile, in the villains' lair, Esmeraude had just finished explaining herself to her superiors. "You lost one of our precious few monsters," one of the bosses said. "However, we will not destroy you just yet. It is still too early in the game to do something quite so rash." Esmeraude looked down in shame, something rare for the normally conceited woman. "You are dismissed," different boss said. Esmeraude did a polite bow before retreating to her room through her mirror.

After she had left, the five "big bads" of the villain group turned to face the rest of their underlings. "With the return of the Starlights, the senshis' numbers have increased to thirteen (A/N: They monitor the missions, so they saw the Starlights while they were hiding in the shadows. They still expect explanations for failure, though.) That is almost double our troop, when we are not included. We must concentrate on reducing their numbers rather than stealing star seeds at the moment."

"Let me handle that, masters," a young woman with snow-white hair in a light blue outfit resembling workout attire said. "Are you planning on doing this yourself?" The blue-eyed woman nodded. "Very ell then, Beruche. Remember that you are to either kill the sailor senshi or return with their star seeds. Otherwise, your life shall be forfeit." "I understand. You needn't worry about me, I have a deadly little game in mind that they will surely lose..."

A/N: Yet another cliffhanger! I'm really bad, aren't I? Oh well, I like keeping my readers in suspense. By the way, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter, I know I had said it would be sooner than a week's time. But my computer was buggy, so I wasn't able to post as soon as I would have liked. I hope you all forgive me! Please R&R! Ja ne!


	9. Chapter 8: Beruche's Sinister Game

A/N: Hey everyone, I'm back again with a new chapter! I am SO sorry for the extreme lateness of this chapter! I've been really busy with school lately and then I got sick recently as well. These may sound like poor excuses, but please forgive me! My last chapter wasn't overly successful or interesting, but this one will be much better, I assure you, it's worth the wait! It's also my longest chapter yet! So, without further ado, I present to you chapter 8!

Disclaimer: Wow, this is getting repetitive. Well, I think you all know by now that Naoko Takeuchi owns the rights to Sailor Moon, not me.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 8: Beruche's Sinister Game

A couple of days later, the Sailor Team was once again studying at Rei's place for the upcoming final exams, which were now only three weeks away. Chibi-Usa was also there, much to Usagi's chagrin. Earlier that morning, the blonde's parents had told her that they and her younger brother Shingo were going to see a play in Osaka, and that they would be gone all day and most of the night. They would have brought her along, but Usagi refused, leaving her to watch the pink-haired girl who had also refused to go. Now she was regretting her decision.

"Chibi-Usa, will you just be quiet already?! We're trying to study for our final exams!" Usagi shouted at the little girl who was grating on her nerves by asking one too many questions. "Maybe the others are, but you're just reading manga," the cone-haired girl pointed out. The slacker glared at her future daughter. The others hadn't noticed their friend's lack of focus until Chibi-Usa mentioned it, since they all had their noses buried deep in their books, each having a quiet study session (for once).

"Usagi, must I reiterate that this time is supposed to be for studying?" Ami asked with a sigh. "No, but none of you would have found out if a certain someone kept her mouth shut," the cornered teen commented, looking at the girl who threw her in. "I don't think that's the point," Minako (shockingly) noted. "What?! Minako, you're on their side now? I feel so betrayed..." Minako's usual partner in crime pouted. Rei just rolled her eyes at this. "Back to what I was trying to say, Usagi, you really should-"

Ami tried to finish her statement, but was cut off by her communicator beeping. Everyone was expecting to see one of the cats' mugs on screen, but got an unpleasant surprise. Instead of one of their expected advisors, Beruche, whom they instantly recognized, appeared on screen.

"Hello, girls," the white-haired woman said with a smirk. "You're surprised to see me, I can tell." "What do you want, Beruche?" Makoto asked with a voice of warning. "Now, now, no need to get upset. I was merely inviting you to join me for a little game I devised," the Shadow Warrior said in a tone of dark playfulness. "What's the game about?" Rei asked in a tone matching that of her brown-haired friend. "I'll tell you when you see me," the villainess stated simply. "And if we refuse to come?" Minako questioned. "Well then, I'l just have to take the star seed of your cute friend here."

The screen on the communicator fuzzed for a moment, then showed an unconscious man with sandy blonde hair wearing blue slacks, a white shirt, and a long red apron that stretched to just above his ankles. "Motoki!" Usagi cried. Beruche chuckled evilly. "It seems that now you will be willing to take part in my little game, am I correct?" The heroines gave her no reply. "I'll take that as a yes. Meet me at a large open field just outside the northern boundary of Tokyo. I'll be waiting!" Beruche finished cheerfully. The communicator screen shut off.

"How low can they go, taking a hostage in order to lure us into their trap," the toughest of the Guardian Senshi said, angered by the treachery. "The main thing on my mind right now is how she was able to contact us through my communicator," the blue-haired teen said as she sat in thought. "We can't worry about those things right now! We have to save our friend!" "Right!" the whole room rang in unison. "Moon Eternal, Make-Up!" "Moon Crisis, Make-Up!" "Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!" "Mars Crystal Power, Make-Up!" "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!" "Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

----Scene Change----

Outside the northern border of Tokyo, Beruche was waiting for her opponents to show up at the said battle location. After waiting for a while, she was getting awfully bored. "Looks like they aren't going to show up after all. I might as well take his star seed now," she said as she turned around and took her blue orb out, aiming it at her captive who was strapped to a chair.

"Stop right there, vile witch!" Beruche turned around to look at her awaited guests. "You're quite late, you know. It's impolite to keep your host waiting," the villainess stated with an air of snobbery. "I could have killed him by now." "Let's just get on with this game of yours, already," Sailor Jupiter said angrily. "Very well, then." Beruche snapped her fingers. Out of nowhere, the senshi were lifted up and put on stands, each corresponding to their theme color.

"What are these things? I can't move my feet!" Sailor Chibi-Moon shouted in a panic. "To play this game, we need game pieces, which are you girls," Beruche explained. Sailor Mars pointed her clasped fingers towards her stand, ready to burn it with her Fire Soul. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the clone of the former Black Moon Clan member warned, noticing Mars's actions. Three pink hearts outlined in gold appeared on each of the senshis' stands. "These hearts represent how much health you will have while playing this game. You wouldn't want to waste one of them with one of your own attacks." Sailor Mars released her fingers and sent a glare toward her enemy.

"Good. Now that we have that established, I can explain the rules." The senshi eyed their opponent warily. "You will be placed in the shape of a hexagon." As soon as those words left Beruche's mouth, the senshi were placed in that exact shaper. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars had the top two points, Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon had the side two points, and Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus had the bottom two points.

"I will also have a team in that formation consisting of monsters I have taken the liberty of creating myself." Once again, the action took place as soon as the words left the white-haired woman's mouth. "Freaky..." Sailor Venus commented. "You will each fight one on one with the monster that you share the same space with on the opposite side of the playing field. If you win, that monster turns into a plastic playing piece and will be moved to your side behind the formation you are in. However, if you lose..." The champions of justice waited in anticipation as Beruche paused in her speech. "The same thing will happen to you," the villaines finished. The senshi stared at her with wide eyes, speechless in their state of shock.

Beruche waited a moment before announcing the first competitor. "Let's start at the top. Sailor Mars, you're up first." The firey senshi and her evil counterpart were lifted up and moved to the fairly wide gap between the opposing teams. A snap of Beruche's fingers made a giant light blue dome surround the battlefield, trapping the two warriors freed from their stands inside. Sailor mars started to get a little bit worried, seeing that the dome was brimming with electricity. On top of that, her enemy looked like one tough cookie. Its skin was completely red, like a permanent sunburn. It had claws for fingers and toes, and wore a skirt that came down to its knees comprised completely of blades. Its chest was well-muscled and its mouth was seething green acid, on the top of its head were mysterious black markings that not even the shinto priestess could decipher.

"Battle commence," the head of the wicked game announced. The creature with glowing orange eyes charged at the firey senshi, who jumped over him, making their positions switch. The animal-esque thing charged once again, but this time Sailor Mars was ready. "Mars Flame Sniper!" The arrow made of flame hit the monster and being that he was charging at such an incredible speed, knocked him back into the electrically charged dome. The whole process ended up taking out two of his three hearts. As the monster struggled to get up, Mars delivered the final blow. "Fire Soul!" The fireball was unleashed upon the evil being, burning it to a crisp.

Upon her victory, the red and purple clad senshi was teleported out of the dome. She was returned to her position in the figure, without her stand. "Some monster that was," she taunted. Beruche just smiled. "You were lucky enough to get the easiest one of my minions. Your friends will not be so lucky." "Bring them on!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed. "Calm down, Sailor Jupiter, you're not the next one up. Sailor Venus is," the light blue clad villainess said.

The senshi of love was teleported into te dome before she could respond, along with her opposition. Looking at her enemy, Venus saw that it looked very similar to a female gladiator. The monster had a royal blue cape with gold shoulders pads at the top. She was completely covered in silver armor that attracted the lightning to it, meaning physical attacks were a no go. Around her forehead was a golden circlet also brimming with gathered electricity. Her weapon was a massive hammer that could only be compared to Thor's from Norse mythology, though it was fitting as she was a rather large and bulky wo... er, thing.

"Battle commence," Beruche said. The hammer wielding monster smashed said weapon to the ground, causing the earth to split in half within the dome (which was powerful enough to stop the attack form going further). Sailor Venus jumped to the right mass of land in order to avoid falling into the deep crevice that separated the two. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she shouted, launching the heart at her enemy. Unluckily for her, though, the monster had a few tricks up her sleeve. She knocked the attack back at the blond-haired senshi with her hammer who, in her utter disbelief, failed to dodge and was hit by her own attack with full force.

"Venus!!" her comrades cried from outside the transparent dome. "I told you the remaining monsters would be harder," the villainess commented, also watching the fight take place. Yhe Sailor Team and Chibi-Moon glared at her.

"Venus Love Me Chain!" The original senshi attempted to wrap her chain around her opponent, but its electricity broke the chain of hearts almost instantly. "Nothing's working!" the frustrated senshi of love grunted. She jumped in the air in order to avoid her enemy who was spinning towards her, hammer outstretched and ready to strike anyone who got in a seven foot radius. Sailor Venus aimed her finger carefully and used her Crescent Beam to knock the enormous hammer out of her still spinning enemy's hand. "Yes!" she shouted, elated that one of her attacks actually worked.

"Focus, Venus, your opponent isn't dead yet!" Sailor Mercury called to her oblivious friend. "Huh? Ack!" "I can't believe her sometimes...." Sailor Mars said, seeming her friend just barely avoid getting slammed by the monster's hammer. Luckily, since Venus was standing on the edge of the split earth, the monster was now teetering on the narrow ledge where she had once stood. "Let me help you out there," Venus said sarcastically. "Crescent Beam!" she shouted, shooting the beam out at as close a range as possible. It was just enough to push the valkyrie-esque being off the edge and into the fiery depths of Earth.

While the heroine's comrades congratulated her victory, Beruche was pursing her lips. Being that the valkyrie was one of her stronger monsters, she hadn't expected Sailor Venus to win. If things kept going that way, she would end up walking away from this battle without a star seed. Her bosses would most certainly not be happy. So, the villainess decided she would send in the senshi least likely to win against her warriors.

Interrupting the still-chattering-with-joy do-gooders with a cough, Beruche announced the next one up, Sailor Chibi-Moon. Sailor Moon looked at her future daughter worriedly. Since becoming a "senshi in training" Chibi-Moon had grown a lot and was now much more skilled than before. Despite that, her sole attack was Pink Sugar Heart Attack, and to say the least, that wasn't exactly the strongest attack in the senshi arsenal. 'Good luck, Sailor Chibi-Moon...' Sailor Moon thought as she saw the smallest senshi teleport into the evil dome.

The pink-haired senshi stood in the dome ready to fight her fearsome opponent. The monster had green skin with lavender lipstick and long, moonlight-white fangs. Surrounding her bald head was a mane of sorts, but with needle-like yellow spikes to accent the royal purple fluff that made up the rest of the thing. Dead vines with thorns laced up her arms and legs. She wore a midriff made out of poison ivy, a bathing suit bottom made out of blades impersonating dew-covered grass, and knee-high boots made out of sharpened bark. "Battle commence," Beruche said happily. The Sailor Team glared at her, but she just shrugged it off.

"Needle Storm!" As the monster shouted this, the yellow spikes flew form her mane-esque headress, scattering all over the battlefield. "Yikes!" Chibi-Moon shouted, trying desperately to avoid the oncoming barrage. She had almost managed to, but one of the spikes caught her off guard, hitting her left leg. It was a clean cut and blood came out with ease. Chibi-Moon felt it all right, though she made no indication of her pain. She looked straight at her foe with all the determination she could muster and shouted, "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" "Vine Wall!" Dead vines matching the ones entwining her arms sprung out from the ground, effectively blocking the weak attack.

Sailor Chibi-Moon was used to her attack being foiled, but she was without Pegasus and the other senshi, which made her a little more frustrated than normal. Resorting to physical attacks, she jumped in the air and performed a flying kick. However, the monster was prepared. "Vine Wall Entangle!" The vines wrapped all around the small senshi, piercing her flesh with their thorns.

"Sailor Chibi-Moon!!!" Sailor moon screamed. The monster cackled and made known the effects of the vines on Chibi-Moon's health- that they would slowly drain the remaining two hearts. "I can't just sit here and watch anymore! We have to get her out of there!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Mars Flame Sniper!" The fire arrow hit the barrier, but was unable to break it. "Let me help you this time," Sailor Venus said. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" "Mars Flame Sniper!" The heart and the arrow glided towards the barrier, combining on the way. Unfortunately, even the combined might of the crystal power attacks were unable to even make a scratch on the barrier.

"I have no choice. I'll have to use my crystal," the senshi with wings decided. "I wouldn't do that either. My stands are even powerful enough to send that back at you," the white-haired woman warned. "Besides, she has less than half a heart left." "I have to try!" Just as Sailor Moon was about to summon her crystal from her brooch, the villainess used her Dark Water attack and prevented her from doing so. "I thought you said your stands were powerful enough to reverse the crystal's power," Sailor Jupiter said, calling Beruche's bluff. The villainess didn't respond.

Mars and Venus attempted to break the barrier once again, on the off-chance that it had been weakened somewhat, but failed once again. By that point, Chibi-Moon's health had been completely drained. The dome and monsters disappeared, along with the stands the senshi were standing on. The little sensh turned into a statue and was whisked away by Beruche before anyone could stop her. "Chibi-Moon! Chibi-Moon!!!!!!!!" Sailor Moon screamed in anguish, knowing exactly what they were going to do to her.

A/N: Once again, I am so sorry for how late this chapter was. Also, sorry to any Chibi-Usa fans out there. I wanted to add drama to the story, and thought that she would stir up the largest amount of it. Of course, it doesn't help that she isn't exactly one of my favorite characters. I hope all of you can forgive me and will R&R! Ja ne!


	10. Chapter 9: Usagi's Depression

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! Sorry for the lateness of this update, but the curse of DOA 4 on Xbox Live struck me (Pathetic, I know..)I hope all of you are enjoying the story so far. Not that I would know, since I don't receive any reviews (BIG HINT) T-T. Anyway, I thought should warn everyone that the fic will be taking a darker turn for the next few chapters. I just finished writing chapter eleven, which is actually pretty light in comparison to the next two, but I still don't think I'll nix the darker theme just yet. Here is chapter nine, the darkest so far. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Sailor Moon and all of its related properties, Naoko Takeuchi does. I'm just an adoring (actually a little on the obsessive side) fan who writes stories based on the series.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 9: Usagi's Depression

"Chibi-Moooon!!!" The name she had screamed earlier that day still rang through her mind as she lay on her bed. Upon losing her future daughter, Usagi had sunk into a pit of depression something very out of character for the normally cheerful teen. Then again, what the outer senshi had said to her earlier didn't exactly help her current situation, as she kept repeating their harsh words over and over again in her mind.

----Flashback-----

"It's okay, Usagi. We tried our hardest to save her. There was nothing we could do to help," Ami, still in her senshi uniform, said trying to console her sobbing friend even though she was on the verge of tears herself. "No! No, it's not!" Usagi, who also remained in her senshi uniform, wailed. "Usagi, calm down," Rei pleaded, hoping her friend would stop crying sometime soon. "How can I be calm at a time like this?! Chibi-Usa is dead and it's all our fault!" "Usagi, it's not-" Minako began, but was interrupted by a masculine voice (that still has a feminine touch) from behind. "She's right. It is all your fault," the voice said.

The Sailor Team turned to face the outer senshi. "There's no need to be so harsh. We tried to the best of our abilities to save her," Makoto said sternly. "Then your best obviously wasn't enough," Michiru said coldly. Rei looked at her pigtailed friends eyes widening with further despair and was not about to stand for it. "What's with you guys? I though we had gotten over our differences," she pressed. "We did, but that was because we thought you guys' had become capable senshi. Evidently, we were wrong," the sea-green haired senshi answered. "Hear us out, please," Ami began. "Sailor Moon has proved time and time again that she can succeed, even under seemingly impossible circumstances."

Setsuna listened to what the blue haired senshi said, but Chibi-Usa's capture had hit home. She had formed a strong bond with the future princess and to lose her, the only person who had ever lifted her spirits when she stood solitary guarding the Gates of Time, was especially hard. "I'm sorry, but we will be working separately from the five of you from now on," she stated, making the intentions of herself and her group clear. "Hotaru, you too?" Minako asked, hoping the youngest of the outer senshi would take their side. The senshi of death and rebirth looked down and remained silent. "I think that's your answer," Haruka said, lacking any warmth in her voice. On that note, the outer senshi took their leave.

-----End Flashback-----

As she finished replaying the day's events in her mind, Usagi han't realized she had been crying the entire time she was lost in thought. She put her hand up to her soaked cheek and wiped the last of her tears away. "I've got to stop this. Maybe calling Mamo-chan will help," she reasoned.

Gathering up her strength so she didn't reveal to Mamoru that she had been crying. Usagi made her way over to her phone and called her boyfriend. His phone rang four times before going to his answering machine. "Moshi moshi. This is Chiba Mamoru. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep." The phone beeped and Usagi could feel her hold on her emotions breaking. Her voice sounded cracked and like it was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. "Moshi moshi, Mamo-chan. Sorry to bother you. You're probably loaded with homework and other college responsibilities." Usagi found herself crying again in the middle of her message. "But I just really needed to talk and-" "Usako?"

The depressed teen was speechless. She knew what she was going to say in her message. She was going to tell her future husband about how stressed out she was and about the unfortunate loss of their future daughter a the hands of a new enemy. Now that he was actually on the phone, saying what she truly felt seemed so much harder. Compassonate person she is, she didn't want Mamoru to miss his second chance at studying abroad becase of her. Still, she just _needed_ to tell him what's been going on.

"Usako? Are you there?" Mamoru asked after a full three minutes of silence. "Hai, I'm here, Mamo-chan," Usagi answered, her reaction a little delayed. "What's the matter, Usako?" "I've just been really stressed out lately. What with school and this new enemy and..." "New enemy? When did ths happen?" "They showed up about two weeks ago."

Usagi's eyes welled up with tears at the thought of the havoc wreaked by the Shadow Warriors. Mamoru smiled to himself. "I have all the confidence in the worl in you, Usako," he said reassuringly. "You shouldn't...." the person on the orter end of the line remarked dejectedly. "What?" "Oh, nothing..." Usagi said, having not realized the words actually slipped out of her mouth. "No, it was definetaly something."

The young woman did not know what to say to this. She didn't want to lie to her boyfriend, but at the same time she didn't want to reveal anything that had the potential to make him stop his studies and return home. "Usako?" The sound of Mamoru's voice filled with concern snapped Usagi out of her trance-like state. As she finished weighing out the pros and cons of each decision, Mamotru assured her that she could tell him wahtever was on her mind without consequence. Hearing his calming words was all the frazzled teen needed to pour her soul out.

Tears flowing in streams, she explained everything. The death of one of her best friends, Unazuki, the wickedness and familiarity of their foes, the battles faced thus far, ad finaly the loss of their one and only future daughter. The college student listened closely, taking it all in. His heart was pulled at its strings with sympathy for his girlfriend and regret that he wasn't there in his time of need. He decided he would no longer stand by and let her suffer.

"Usako," he started, interuppting her sobs politely, "I'm going to catch the next flight to Tokyo. I should be there in a week. Can you hold on that long for me?" This was precisely hat Usagi _didn't_ want to hear. "No! You can't leave! You have to continue studying in the United States!" she protested. 'Selfless as always,' the future king thought to himself. "We can't let anymore people die. You can't handle this on your own," he said, trying to reason with her. "But I'm not alone! There's Venus and Mercury and Jupiter and Mars and-" she shouted, desperatlely trying to convince her boyfriend to stay put. "Usako...." "Mamo-chan...." "Yes."

Coming to the conclusion that she was getting nowhere, Uagi relented and told him that it was okay that he comes, but to make sure he didn't end up the same way he dd when Galaxia was around. "Okay, Usako. Aishteru. See you soon..." he said. "Love you too, Mamo-chan, see you soon." With that, they both hung up. "Please stay safe on the airplane, Mamo-chan," Usagi prayed before falling asleep, exhausted from all the energy spent on crying.

A/N: Yay! Mamoru is coming back! ^-^ I'm sorry once again for the extreme lateness of this chapter. To make it up to you guys, I've written another oneshot, and should have it posted either tonight or tomorrow. Also, I just finished writing the first chapter of my very first yaoi fic! It will have a very different feel form this story, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I should be posting it at some point in the next week or so. I might write the second chapter before posting, though. Anyway, R&R please! Ja ne!


	11. Chapter 10: Competiton and Confrontation

A/N: Moshi moshi mi-na! I am TERRIBLY SORRY for not updating my fics in what seems like forever. For the Inuyasha yaoi fic fans, I hope yesterday's oneshot helped you forgive me at least a little. However, for that reason I am updating my Sailor Moon one first. Also, I haven't updated this in the longest time and looking at the story traffic, I realize it still has a hell of a lot more fans than I thought. So please, enjoy this long overdue chapter!

Disclaimer: All bow down to the great Naoko Takeuchi for creating Sailor Moon, not me.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 10: Competition and Confrontation

Seven figures stared in amazement at a giant orb filled with energy.

"It's so lovely," the lady in purple, Cooan, said dreamily.

"Yes, I never knew just how beautiful the energy of a Sailor Crystal was," a woman who went by the name Petz and wore green and black clothing remarked, in the same dreamy way as Cooan.

"I must obtain such energy for myself," a cross-dressing man who could have easily passed for a woman, save the chest area, said with a fire in his eyes.

"You should obtain it, not for yourself but for our mission."

The light-blue haired man looked to his left to see his masters looking at the group in front of the humongous orb.

"We need a total of five Sailor Crystals in order to complete our goal," one of them told the mesmerized group.

"Then why are we sent to steal the star seeds of normal human," Fish-Eye, the cross-dressing man, asked.

"Since the senshi are able to defend themselves, the crystals are difficult to obtain. Regular star seeds are much easier to get a hold of."

"But how will normal star seed help us accomplish our goal?" Petz inquired.

"Fifteen normal star seeds are equivalent to five Sailor Crystals. Either method will work," another one of the bosses answered.

"What would you rather have us do now?" Esmeraude asked.

"We may have eliminated one of the senshi, but their numbers are still far too large for our tastes."

"Allow me to reduce their numbers," Fish-Eye volunteered.

"We figured as much," one of the bosses admitted. "Will you be doing it yourself or shall we equip you with a monster?"

"A monster, preferably."

"Here you are." A purple orb floated toward Fish-Eye, who snatched it up, politely bowed and teleported away in search of the sailor senshi.

----Scene Change----

Three women were sitting in a café, safe from the pouring rain outside. The second tallest among them had a disgruntled look on her face, which worried her lover.

"Haruka, what's bothering you?" Michiru asked, concerned.

"I still can't get over the fact that the kid is gone. She should have had better protection!" Haruka nearly shouted, gripping her coffee cup with such anger that it looked like it may break at any moment.

"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it now," Michiru said in an attempt to ease her troubled lover's mind.

Haruka may have been taking the loss of Chibi-Usa hard, but nobody was taking it quite as hard as Setsuna. Out of everyone, it was she who had known the future princess the longest and had the closest relationship with her, even closer than Usagi. She was always the one Chibi-Usa went to when she was upset or just needed somebody besides her parents and Guardian Senshi to talk to. She was a little light of hope in the fog that filled the Gates of Time, where she stood solitary, never allowed to leave. And now that little light of hope was gone.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!!!"

Setsuna looked up at her comrades, seeing that they had their henshin sticks out. She took hers out as well, prepared to go to battle.

"Uranus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Neptune Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Pluto Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

----Scene Change----

Fish-Eye stood in the middle of a heap of unconscious bodies, pieces of rubble and broken roadway with a frustrated look on his face. The only reason he created all of this devastation (other than his own enjoyment) was to lure out the senshi. Yet not one of the pesky do-gooders had shown up, which made the all-blue villain wonder why they would just let their precious city go to hell.

Just as he was about to go seek them out himself, pink rose petals danced across his field of view. 'Perfect,' he thought.

"Guided by the planet Uranus, I'm Sailor Uranus, soldier of the sky!"

Guided by the planet Neptune, I'm Sailor Neptune, soldier of the sea!"

"Guided by the planet Pluto, I'm Sailor Pluto, soldier of time!"

"We are the sailor senshi of the Outer Solar System and we shall punish you!" the new arrivals shouted in unison.

"Magmara, attack!"

The orange skinned monster with flaming dreadlocks shot fire from the palm of her hand whose heat rivaled that of the sun. The Outer Senshi dodged easily, as it was quite a narrow attack.

"Let me cool you down a bit hot-head," Sailor Neptune said (A/N: Corny, I know….). "Deep Submerge!"

The monster with red eyes and lavender lipstick created a ring of fire below her, which she dived into and teleported with.

"What?!" Sailor Uranus exclaimed.

On their guard, the senshi eyed the area looking for signs of the monster. All of the sudden, the monster launched herself from her ring behind the defenders of justice, extending her fiery dreads while the golden bodysuit she was wearing glowed. Unable to dodge, the Outer Senshi braced themselves for the attack. Surprisingly, it never came. They opened their eyes which had been shut tight to see the monster lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Before they could even think of who had helped them, a snap of fingers alerted them to who it was.

"One of the protectors of Princess Kakyuu, Sailor Star Fighter!"

"Another protector of Princess Kakyuu, Sailor Star Maker!"

"The final protector of Princess Kakyuu, Sailor Star Healer!" (A/N: I'm 99.9999% sure that that's not what their speeches are, but I completely forgot how they went ^_^;).

"Sailor Starlights, stage on!"

The three senshi of a different kind jumped from the building they were standing on, gracefully landing on the ground below.

"Starlights, what are you doing here?" Sailor Pluto asked.

"We'll answer that question later. First, we have some questions for you," Sailor Star Healer replied coldly.

"Spill," Uranus said while glaring at Star Fighter.

"If you're supposed to protect Sailor Moon, why have you distanced yourselves from her and her troupe?" Maker questioned.

"That's none of you business," the tomboy answered.

"We're he friends. That _makes_ it our business," Star Fighter said.

"Umm, I hate to interrupt this petty little argument of yours, but as enjoyable as it is to watch, I have a job to do. Now can we just get on with it already?" Fish-Eye said impatiently.

"Magmara!" The fire monster, now recovered, floated up in the air and spewed molten lava from her mouth like a wave. It burned the ground as it followed the six senshi running from it and spread out, lighting buildings on fire.

"Shit!" Sailor Uranus shouted, looking at the buildings that were lit like Christmas trees.

Sailor Pluto jumped back a good distance and unleashed her Dead Scream upon her enemy. Magmara easily flew out of the way, her suit glowing as she did so.

"You might want to get out of the way- it's obvious there is nothing you can do here," Sailor Star Healer said, earning him glares from the other senshi team.

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

The monster dodged once again and spewed more lava to the lava that had stopped moving.

"Uranus, let's take it to the rooftops of the stable buildings," Sailor Neptune said.

"Good idea."

The partners jumped to the top of the nearest stable building. Uranus called upon her Space Sword and Neptune called upon her Deep Sea Mirror. They looked at each other, each knowing the other knew exactly what the plan was. Sailor Uranus launched herself off the ledge of the building she and her partner were standing on, raising her sword above her head, ready to slice her enemy in two. When the monster tried to tangle her hair around the soldier of the sky, the soldier of the sea used her Submarine Reflection to douse the dreads. She was successful, which made for a very humorous sight. Apparently, the monster didn't have any real hair, which meant she was as bald as a baby just born.

"Nice look you have going there," Neptune chuckled.

Sailor Star Fighter was not liking the fact that she hadn't been useful yet and that the Outer Senshi were handling the monster just fine while she was running away from lava. Always a competitive person, especially when it came to Sailor Uranus, she decided to make a game out of this battle. The game was simple- whoever would deal the most amount of damage to the monster wins. Not that the Outer Senshi were aware of this, but she figured they would catch on soon enough.

"Honestly, you look embarrassing like that, Magmara. Couldn't you create some more hair?" Fish-Eye asked, wishing he could just run away so he wouldn't be seen with what he deemed humiliating to be with. The fire demon sadly shook her head.

"Well, that won't matter much when she's removed from this world, now will it?" Sailor Pluto said, readying her staff. She was about to attack when she heard Sailor Star Fighter scream her attack behind her.

"Huh?"

The monster narrowly missed getting hit by the powerful beam, bringing a smug smirk to the face of the person who had unleashed it. Sailor Uranus saw the face and caught on to what Star Fighter had turned the battle into. 'Fine,' she thought, 'If it's a competition they want, then they had better be prepared to lose.'

"Space Sword Blaster!"

Magmara decided to counter the wind senshi's oncoming blow with a belch of fire that manifested itself into a giant fireball. The two attacks locked, making each combatant concentrate on their attack to make sure it didn't lose the fight. Sailor Star Maker, brilliant mind that she was, saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike. She intervened from the monster's left side, ducking a little and kicking her square in her gut, breaking her concentration. While this ended up making Uranus win the bout between the two attacks (as she still remained focused), the monster's untimely doubling over cause her attack to slice into a building instead. Luckily, it only made a small cut.

"Well, Magmara, since you obviously can't do this yourself, it looks like I'll have to help you out. Take this!"

The villain threw knives at his foes, but with better aim than the real Fish-Eye. Star Maker, who had been planning on throwing the monster as soon as she had recovered a bit (because it would just be no fun to pick her up when Uranus had an incoming attack), had no choice but to leave Magmara in order to avoid getting hit. Her rival, on the other hand, had different plans.

Skillfully deflecting the throwing knives with her sword, Uranus charged at Fish-Eye, only to stop halfway. The supposed target was quite confused by this, until he heard the words to Sailor Neptune's primary attack.

"Deep Submerge!"

"World Shaking!"

"Dead Scream…" (A/N: She whispers it, hence the dots)

Feeling that the attacks would hit him if he didn't jump out of the way, Fish-Eye quickly moved to the side. The Outer Senshis' attacks swirled and combined and redirected towards Magmara.

Not to be outdone, the Starlights also released their attacks together. Having large energies coming at her from both sides, Magmara had no idea what to do. She figured the best thing she could do was brace herself for impact and hope that she survives. However, hope is always fleeting. The sheer power of all the combined attacks ripped Magmara to shreds. The only trace of her existence left was dust.

Fish-Eye stared in awe. The real version of himself had only seen Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon destroy monsters, so that meant his only memories of monsters being killed went that way. Sensing the animosity between the Starlights and the Outers, he thought it was in his best interest to flee.

Sailor Uranus and Sailor Star Fighter stared at each other intently.

"Now that the monster is gone, would you mind explaining your attitude?" Star Fighter asked, not trying in the least bit to be polite.

"Stop questioning us. I've already told you that it isn't your business," Uranus stated, clearly making her point.

"And I've already told _you_ that as Usagi's friends, anyone who has a problem with her has a problem with us as well," the black-haired woman countered.

"Look, buddy, if you keep pestering us, this might get physical," the tomboy threatened, raising her Space Sword. Her comrades readied themselves as well.

"Whatever it takes to end Usagi's sadness….," the leader of the Starlights said, a determined look on her face.

Just as they were about to start swinging, a voice pleaded for them to stop. They turned around to see the topic of the heated argument staring at them with teary eyes.

"Odango…"

"Please stop…. I don't want you to fight over me. I don't want to see my friends getting hurt because of me."

At this point, the girl with a heart of gold couldn't bear to endure anymore emotional pain. She broke down in sobs, plopping to the ground with her hands clutching her face.

Seeing the pigtailed girl in pain felt like a dagger going through Sailor Uranus's heart. As much as she wanted to end the pain, she was convinced the separation of groups was the best way to defeat the Shadow Warriors. For now, though, she decided she would let the Starlights (who were currently tending to Usagi) go unscathed.

"Let's go," she said to her teammates. The trio walked away, all the while trying to convince themselves that what they were doing was right.

A/N: Woot! Finished! Angsty, wasn't it? And it's not going to be resolved any time soon either *sticks out tongue*. On the bright side, in the next chapter, new powers will be introduced! Wanna find out who they are to and what they are, then stay tuned for the next chapter and do no abandon this fic! R&R plz!! Ja ne!


	12. Chapter 11: Roses

AAAGGGGGHHHH!!!! I am so sorry!!! It has been forever since I updated. I'll admit, I don't have a good excuse. I just keep saying things like, "oh, I'll do it tomorrow." Bad me! Anyway, I want to thank all of you who have stuck with this story and have patiently awaited updates, as well as those who reviewed. I really appreciate it. I should get around to updating my other stories soon. Oddly enough, I update more when school is in session. Anyway, enough of my chatter- on with the fic!

Disclaimer: Eleven chapters in plus a prologue and I still have to state that I don't own the rights to Sailor Moon?

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 11: Roses

One week after he called, Mamoru arrived at the Tokyo Airport where Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako were eagerly awaiting him. The second he stepped foot in the lobby he was glomped by his longtime girlfriend.

"Mamo-chan! I'm so glad you're back!" she shouted with glee.

"That's great, but I'm having a little bit of trouble breathing here," Mamoru said, his face turning blue from lack of oxygen. Usagi chuckled as she let go of the death vice on her boyfriend.

"How ever did you manage to convince your college to let you take a leave of absence without being kicked out?" Ami asked.

"I told them I had a family emergency that required my immediate attention. They like me a lot, so they said they understood and would keep my space reserved for when I come back."

"Wow, that was nice of them. I didn't think colleges did that sort of thing," Makoto said

"You're right. They normally don't. I guess they made an exception just this once," Mamoru replied, trying not to gloat.

Usagi's stomach grumbled loudly, so loudly in fact that it turned the heads of passerby. "Heh, I guess I was so excited to see Mamo-chan that I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

"Wow, that's a surprise," Rei teased.

She knew when it came to Mamoru, Usagi forgot about basic things that most people would do out of routine. Either that or she expected him to buy her something nice to eat, par usual.

"No worries, I'm sure my Mamo-chan is willing to treat us all to lunch," the pigtailed girl assured everyone, confirming Rei's second guess. Mamoru sweatdropped, knowing the dent the outing would make in his wallet. But if it made Usagi happy, he was willing to do it.

"Okay," he said.

"Yay!" the group shouted.

----Scene Change----

"We are extremely disappointed by your recent rash of failures."

Once again, the villains were gathered and the superiors were lecturing their subordinates. After Fish-Eye's failure their tempers seem to have suddenly risen. For masters who were once so calm, so collected, so patient, this was a shock for their… "employees."

"But masters, I was successful not too long ago," Beruche pointed out, hoping to lessen the waves of anger her superiors were feeling.

"Yes, but your success is overridden by the number of failures we have had. Actually, getting star seeds only seems to happen once in a blue moon," they noted with stern looks on their faces.

The white-haired woman shut her mouth, not wanting to argue with them. For all she knew, their anger could overcome them and they could kill her for insubordination.

"Now, who is willing to go on the next quest for a star seed?"

There was a long period of silence of silence before anyone answered. Each of them knew they would probably be putting their lives on the line for this one. They also knew what the masters meant by "star seed" was a sailor crystal, as they were still trying to reduce their numbers, which made the task all the more difficult. Just as the masters were about to choose who was going out without their consent, someone stepped up to the plate.

"I, Petz, volunteer," the woman who acted as a counterpart to Sailor Jupiter said.

"Do you require a monster?" one of the masters asked.

"No, but I would like something else."

"What is it?" one of the superiors asked, intrigued.

"Let me tell you…"

----Scene Change----

"Oh boy, I'm so stuffed! Thank you Mamo-chan!" Usagi said, hugging her boyfriend tightly. The others smiled to show that they appreciated the meal as well.

The group was happily walking down the street when suddenly a loud clap of thunder was heard.

"A storm? I don't remember the weather reports predicting a storm today," a confused Ami commented. The skies then started to get very cloudy and gray, almost as if on cue.

"I don't think this is a case of sudden showers. I sense a strong evil presence heading our way!" the Shinto priestess informed the group.

Everyone looked around for one of the Shadow Warriors, knowing they enjoyed making sudden appearances. A lightning bolt shot down from the sky directly in front of them, making Usagi scream in fright.

"Who's there?" Makoto inquired, not being able to see through the smoke the lightning bolt created.

"I am the Shadow Warrior Petz," the villain answered.

"Figures that they brought you back too. Mi-na henshin yo!" Minako commanded.

"Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Mars Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Moon Eternal, Make-Up!"

Mamoru held out a rose and transformed into Tuxedo Kamen along with the other.

"You can attempt to beat me, but with the power I hold now, not even five of you can stop me!" the villainess boomed.

"We'll see about that. Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Lightning, I call upon your power to shield me!" the green-haired woman shouted.

The lightning shot out from the clouds and formed a spiral shield in front of Petz. Sailor Jupiter's attack didn't even stand a chance, disappearing as soon as it came in contact with the electric shield.

"Pathetic," the smug villainess retorted, "I'll show you true power."

She pointed an index finger at the sailor senshi and Tuxedo Kamen directing a huge lightning bolt toward the ground below them. The attack exploded, blasting them in a number of directions.

Petz looked at her foes scattered on the ground, bodies wracked with pain and struggling to get up and cackled evilly.

"Come on you weaklings, get up so I can knock you down again."

"There's only one person who's going down here," Sailor Mars said. "Rin, Pyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen! Akuryo Taisan!"

The charged scroll flew towards the villainess ready to paralyze her, but she just called electricity to her hand and caught the scroll, burning it to cinders.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

Once again, the attack was easily destroyed by Petz, who shot lightning from her hand that went through the heart, breaking it and making a beeline for Sailor Venus. The senshi of love didn't even have time to avoid the lightning bolt and it hit her in the chest, knocking her back a few feet.

"Venus!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"Mercury, is your scanner finding any weaknesses?" Sailor Jupiter asked the computer whiz.

"Unfortunately, no. Her power level is extremely high, so high in fact that even if we combined our attacks, she would have just enough power to match them perfectly," she replied.

"What about a Sailor Planet Attack? Would that work?" Sailor Venus questioned.

"No, that wouldn't work either. We'd be hit by lightning long before we finished," Sailor Mercury answered sadly.

"I think I've had enough fun. Time to finish you off!" Petz declared.

A giant storm cloud swooped in above the senshis' and Tuxedo Kamen's heads. Electricity crackled on the bottom of the cloud, preparing to strike.

"Move!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted as he headed towards his future wife.

"Weakling, I have no interest in you," the clone of the former Black Moon Clan member said as she threw a lightning bolt at the caped crusader, effectively knocking him out of the cloud's target area.

"Run, Usako!" he screamed but to no avail- Sailor Moon and the rest of the senshi were in too much awe to move from their spots. The electricity reached its peak and came down in what seemed like hundreds of little lightning bolts, electrocuting the heroines.

Tuxedo Kamen could only watch in horror as the senshi screamed in pain.

'There has to be something I can do to help,' he thought.

Suddenly, a bright flash of white light blinded him. When his eyes recovered from the shock, he slowly opened them and saw that time had stopped.

"What's going on here…" he mumbled to himself.

"Tuxedo Kamen," a voice from behind him called.

Turning around to face the familiar voice, he saw none other than his future self, King Endymion.

"Tuxedo Kamen," his future self said, "There is a way you can help."

"How?" he asked, desperately wanting to know the answer.

"Take these roses." As King Endymion said this, four roses appeared out of thin air: one blue, one red, one green and the last one orange.

"What are these?"

"Give these to the Inner Senshi. You should know based on the color which one to give to who."

"But how will I get through the electricity?"

"Time has stopped. The lightning bolts will not harm you. Go place the roses in each of the respective senshi's hand."

"Thank you, King Endymion." The king simply smiled and nodded , then disappeared once Tuxedo Kamen had done his job and safely gotten out of harm's way.

Once King Endymion was gone, the roses flashed and emitted vibrant light the same colors as the colors of their flowers. The Inner Senshi were wrapped in these warm lights and felt their newfound power surging throughout their bodies. When the lights disappeared, time started moving again, but the cloud was gone and the Inner Senshi were standing strong (A/N: Sailor Moon was getting up a little slower than the others). Their outfits were mostly unchanged, save for the gold roses on their chokers that took the place of the gold stars that were once there.

"What's going on?!" Petz shouted as she gazed in bewilderment at the scene before her. She had no idea why the storm cloud she summoned had suddenly fallen off the face of the planet or why the senshi were now standing even though they had been electrocuted by the lightning the cloud had produced. However, she did notice a certain man in a tuxedo staring at her with a smug smirk on his face.

"Useless huh? Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, show Petz true power!" Tuxedo Kamen commanded.

"Right!" the group he was referring to chimed in.

"Mars Rose-" the red rose appeared in the fire senshi's hand- "Ember Explosion!"

She blew on the rose, causing the petals to fly off (A/N: Yes, they regenerate immediately after). As they made their way towards Petz they turned into hundreds of little embers.

"Please, you call this an atta-."

Before the villainess could finish her taunt, the embers reached her, quickly gathered together and exploded in a giant fireball. Petz was blasted to the ground from the extreme impact.

"I think I like this new power," Sailor Mars said.

"Okay, I can't miss out on this. Let me try," Sailor Jupiter said. "Jupiter Rose- Thunder Flower!"

The senshi of thunder blew on her green rose in the same fashion as her red and purple clad teammate, the petals forming the shape of a sunflower. The petals then grew to ten times their size and spun around, creating a tunnel of electricity. Petz, still in a state of shock from the last attack, got trapped in the tunnel. As soon as the tunnel had her in its grip, electricity shot out from the middle piece, shocking Petz with Kami knows how many volts.

"Awesome!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed.

"I'd like to try as well," Sailor Mercury said. "Mercury Rose- Ice Spike Blizzard!"

"Not this time," Petz said, finally getting up. "Dark Lightning!

The villainess shot her power from her hand this time, but it seemed the petals were expecting that to happen. They separated in order to avoid getting fried then took on the form of a blizzard, which surrounded Petz and turned from snow to thousands of little ice spikes.

"Argh!" Petz shouted in pain and confusion.

"My turn now," Sailor Venus said. "Venus Rose- Love Spotlight!"

She blew on her orange rose and the petals danced above Petz's head. They formed a heart which cast a literal spotlight on Petz, blinding her temporarily and then attacking her with five star-point hearts aimed directly at her abdomen, casuing her to keel over.

"Finish the job, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen called to his future wife, who was currently in a state of awe at her comrades' attacks.

"What? Oh, right!" She summoned her Eternal Tier and shouted, "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

Petz watched her do her sequence, but was too weak to get up. She knew she couldn't go back to the base, her masters had told her she couldn't if she failed. If she did she would face certain death. So, she figured, she might as well accept her fate and brace herself for the the final attack that would destroy her. When the attack actually hit, an onlooker would swear they saw a smile of lost hope on her face.

"Yes! Yes! We did it! We did it!" Sailor Moon shouted as she jumped up and down.

"Okay, enough already, we get it," Sailor Mars said, annoyed at her friend's antics.

"You all did a great job," Tuxedo Kamen complimented.

"Thanks for the help," Sailor Venus said.

"I do have one question though," Sailor Mercury interjected. "Wherever did you get those roses from?"

Tuxedo Kamen was silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to properly explain what happened.

"Well, it's a bit complicated, but let me try."

He then went on to explain in full as best he could. Usagi didn't quite seem to get it, but he didn't mind. He was just glad to be back with his beloved Usako.

A/N: Whew, that was a long one! I hope you all enjoyed the senshi's new powers. Tell me what you think of them in a review, along with you opinion as to whether or not I should give the Outer Senshi new powers. R&R please!!! Ja ne!


	13. Chapter 12: Rethinking Decisions

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! Time for another update, albeit a short one. This chapter is another lead in (like chapter 7) and if you remember the last part of chapter ten, it will make sense. Now on with the fic!

Disclaimer: Man, it would be awesome if I owned the rights to Sailor Moon. Too bad I don't.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 12: Rethinking Decisions

Tenoh Haruka sat on the windowsill of the large apartment she was currently sharing with Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru, gazing out the window as if in some sort of trance (A/N: A la Sailor Moon S). She sat there for a long time and it wasn't until her lover came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder that she was broken from her train of thought.

"Michiru," she said, placing her hand on top of the other's and looking into those concerned eyes she knew so well.

"It's about our decision to abandon Usagi's group, isn't it?" Michiru asked, knowing exactly what was on the tomboy's mind.

"Yes," Haruka confessed. "Ever since seeing Usagi break sown like that, I've been wondering if we've made the right decision," she said solemnly.

"I've been thinking about that too, but every time I consider joining them again, the thoughts of how powerful our new enemy is always seems to outweigh that thought," the senshi of the sea stated plainly.

"I know, but what Sailor Star Maker said still haunts me..."

----Flashback----

"If you're supposed to protect Sailor Moon, why have you distanced yourselves from her and her troop?"

----End Flashback----

Michiru sat down on the windowsill next to Haruka, getting close enough for their faces to almost touch. She grabbed the tomboy's head and stared into her eyes. Once she had her full attention, she asked the question she knew her lover was having a hard time answering herself.

"Do you want to join them again?"

Haruka thought for a moment before answering. Never did she think that the strange, pigtailed teen would one day weave her way into her heart. Not quite in the way Michiru did, but in a unique way all her own. Reminiscing, images of Usagi smiling so brightly it could light up a room and crying when she was hurt by someone, mainly the Outers, came to mind. Yes, they had hurt her numerous times during their battles with the Death Busters, the Shadow Galactica and now the Shadow Warriors.

As she saw the pained expression on her lover's face grow worse, Michiru did the only thing she knew would make everything go away, if only for a moment, and with luck, clear her mind so she could think clearly. The violinist leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly against those of the other.

"So what is your decision?" Michiru asked gazing lovingly into Haruka's eyes.

"I think we should join them again," Haruka replied, smiling contentedly.

"I think I agree."

The two lovers felt like a giant weight was lifted off their shoulders.

A few minutes later, Setsuna and Hotaru returned from grocery shopping. Being that they took Chibi-Usa's death (A/N: Remember, her sailor crystal was stolen) even harder than Haruka and Michiru, it would take quite a bit of convincing to get them to agree to teaming up with the Inners again. However, the lovers knew they could change their minds.

"Welcome back," Michiru said, getting up off the windowsill along with her lover.

"There's something we'd like to discuss with you," Haruka told the two putting away the groceries.

"What is it?" Hotaru asked innocently.

"We were thinking of teaming up with the Sailor Team again," Haruka said heaving a sigh, knowing her thought wouldn't go over well.

Upon hearing this, an incredulous look marred Setsuna's face.

"How can you even think that?! They have betrayed my faith in them as senshi. We would be better off without them!" she coldly shouted (A/N: Very unlike Setsuna, I know, but think of the circumstances...).

"We thought that too, but we realized the severity of the enemy is too great to try and work in separate groups," Michiru reasoned.

"What about our bout with Galaxia? You two separated yourselves to destroy her on your own-"

"And we failed miserably. We don't want to make that same mistake again. Besides, we do not want to lose any more people when it isn't necessary. We made need all the help we can get."

"I don't want to lose anymore people, either," Hotaru said sadly. "Especially the princess- we have to protect her."

"Well?" Haruka asked, almost rhetorically.

Setsuna's hard expression softened a bit. "I guess so," she said with a smile.

"Good. We'll meet them at the Hikawa Temple tomorrow. For now, what should we do about dinner?" Michiru said.

A/N: This chapter was REALLY HARD to write and went through a lot of editing before I was satisfied with it, so while I know it's not my best I tried. If anyone doesn't understand why the reasoning behind the Outers' initial decision or their revised one, feel free to message me or ask me in a review. Don't worry, I know I wasn't the most clear, so I won't be offended. Anyway, that's all for now! R&R please! Ja ne!


	14. Chapter 13: Team Up

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! It's been awhile since I updated this fic (like two weeks)! I'm sorry, but as I said in one of my oneshots, I've been working on a lot of those. It seems my brain is just buzzing with story ideas that need to get out! Anyway, it's back to the action in this chapter and finished with the short-lived angst. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I looked into a looking glass to see if I owned the rights to Sailor Moon either now or in the future and for both my answer was a resounding no.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 13: Team Up

Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako were standing outside on the Hikawa Temple grounds surrounded by wooden figures and dressed in their sailor uniforms. Luna and Artemis had decided that since Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus just obtained new powers, it wouldn't hurt to do a little training session. Besides, it had been so long since their last one. In fact, Luna couldn't remember having a training session since they were fighting the Dark Kingdom. Mamoru had the day off from work, so he decided to come and observe.

"Okay, everyone, let's start. You each have four wooden figures. We want you to use each of you four attacks on them, starting with you very first one. Sailor Mars, why don't you go first?" Luna said.

"Right," Mars replied. "Fire Soul!" The fire hit the mock enemy, quickly burning it to cinders.

"Do you want me to keep going?" she asked, thinking the others might like an opportunity to get in on the action.

"No, keep going," Artemis responded.

"Okay. Burning Mandala!"

Burning wood.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

Burning wood.

"Mars Rose- Ember Explosion!"

Burning wood that flew all over the grounds, one of the pieces unfortunately hitting a tree.

"Ack!" everyone shouted.

"Quick, somebody get a bucket of water!" Sailor Venus in a panic.

Sailor Mars ran into the temple to get the water. Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury figured she was the only one who could stop this.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

The water doused the tree and quickly put the fire out (A/N: I know Sailor Mars used a stronger attack and I do remember the incident with Eudial in the S season, but I think that unless they are trying to combine their attacks, water beats fire, regardless of the fact that it is extremely heated. Hmm, that doesn't make much sense, does it? Oh well, this is fanfiction, not everything has to make sense). Sailor Moon looked to her left to see Sailor Mars splayed out on the ground, the bucket that was once full of water on top of her head.

"Rei...." she said while shaking her head (A/N: Hey, that rhymes! ^_^).

A soft chuckle caused the group to turn their heads toward the stairs leading up to the temple. Standing there were Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru. There was a silence between the two groups before someone spoke.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sailor Jupiter asked rather coldly.

"We came here to tell you that we have forgiven you guys for the loss of Chibi-Usa. We now realize that it was also our fault for not being there sooner," Setsuna replied and one could almost hear a hint of shame in her voice.

"So does that mean you guys are joining us again?" Sailor Moon asked, her voice full of hope.

"Yes," Michiru stated almost immediately, knowing that the pigtailed girl was teeming with anticipation.

"Yay!" Sailor Moon shouted with glee. Sailor Mars was going to comment on the loudness of her voice, but decided it wouldn't hurt to let her be loud just this once.

"Oh, what a happy little reunion," a voice remarked from above.

The senshi looked up to see Fish-Eye jumping down from a tree that didn't suffer the heat of Sailor Mars's flames.

"Unfortunately for you, I have a job to do, so this reunion will be short-lived."

"I don't think so- Uranus Crystal Power, Make-up!"

"Neptune Crystal Power, Make-up!"

"Pluto Crystal Power, Make-up!"

"Saturn Crystal Power, Make-up!"

"With more of us, there's no way we can lose!" Sailor Moon shouted at her foe.

"Ah, but you're not the only ones teaming up today," Fish-Eye said with a glint in his eye.

Tiger's-Eye appeared from behind a tree, head down and arms crossed in a "cool" pose. The senshi gasped. Their enemies hadn't done something like this since the days of the Black Moon Clan, with Calaveras and Petz.

"Come out, Light and Dark Twins!" the two villains shouted in unison.

From a pink poof of smoke on Fish-Eye's side came what looked similar to a little girl. The monster- Light, the senshi presumed based on her appearence- wore white Mario-esque gloves. She had an orange dress on that went down to just above her knees covered in patches of pink and green. Her matching hair was in pigtails adorned with yellow ribbons, the same color combination as her shoes. She had sparkling green eyes (literally, they sparkled) and seemed to have a smile plastered onto her face.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Sunshine, but you can just call me Light! Now meet my sister!" the monster said all too cutely as she struck a Vanna-like pose (A/N: You know, the lady from Wheel of Fortune...).

Out of a poof a black smoke on Tiger's-Eye's side came Light's other half, Dark. She was the same height as her sister, but her features were the polar opposite, as suggested by her name.

She had a black newspaper-boy cap on that matched her medium-length hair, which she kept swept over one eye. The other eye, from what the senshi could see, was a golden yellow. Unlike her sister's skin, which was a peach color, hers was dark and gray. She wore boots that came up to the middle part of her skin and a black dress with red and gray patches that was fashioned like her sister's. Finally, she had fingerless black gloves on.

Everyone waited patiently for Dark to introduce herself, but no introduction came. The smile on Light's face faded a bit before coming back full force as she introduced her unwilling sister.

"Since she obviously doesn't want to introduce herself, I guess I'll have to do it for her! Her name is Eclipse, but you can just call her Dark!"

All she got from her sister was a 'Hn' in response.

"Now that we are through with introductions, let's have some fun! Sunlight Burst!

The pigtailed sister blew a kiss that turned into a little golden bubble and burst when it got to the perplexed Inner Senshi (A/N: Yes, it works exactly like Ingrid's super from Street Fighter Alpha 3, which I do not claim to either.).

"Man, that burns!" Sailor Jupiter said, still feeling residual effects from the attack.

"World Shaking!"

The yellow orb flew towards the pair, who split up in order to avoid the attack.

"Vortex," Dark whispered.

A purple and black orb descended to the ground and just sat there, confusing the senshi.

Sailor Jupiter mocked the monster for what she saw as a useless attack. "What kind of an attack doesn't do anything? Looks like I'll have to show you what a real attack is. Jupiter Rose- Thunder Flower!"

The tunnel of lighting was heading towards Dark when the vortex activated, absorbing the attack. The senshi heard a sinister laugh coming from Tiger's-Eye.

"You stupid pumpkins," he said. "That vortex will absorb any and all attacks you send at the Light and Dark Twins."

"Then we'll just have to attack it so much that it overloads," Sailor Mercury said.

"Right!" the Sailor Team shouted in unison.

"Venus Rose- Love Spotlight!"

"Mercury Rose- Ice Spike Blizzard!"

"Mars Rose- Ember Explosion!"

"Jupiter Rose- Thunder Flower!"

All four attacks were absorbed by the vortex without any trouble.

"I think that's enough," Fish-Eye said out of the blue.

Dark nodded her head and called the orb towards her. She then immersed herself in the orb, absorbing all the power it now contained. When she came out of it, the orb disappeared.

"Dark Lighting of Regret," she whispered.

Dark extended her hands and unleashed a torrent of lightning that was inescapable. The senshi felt the force of all the attacks combined as they were shocked by lightning. They were weakening fast,. and didn't know how much more they could take. Then, as if by the grace of God, the lightning abruptly stopped.

"When people are trying to make peace, they do not need conflict. You are trying to disrupt this peace. I, Tuxedo Kamen, will not allow that!"

"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon shouted, glad she and the others were put out of their misery.

"I'll take care of this," Tiger's-Eye said. "Light, Dark, continue!"

"Okie-dokie!" Light replied gleefully, much to the chagrin of her twin.

"Deep Submerge!"

Just as Light reasserted herself and turned to face her foes, she was met with Neptune's ball of water, along with her sister. The two of them toppled to the ground.

"Ow! That was mean!" Light yelled in her innocent voice.

For the first time, the senshi saw an actual emotion on Dark's face: anger. Dark floated up before her sister and sent out her lightning once again. However, this time it was avoidable as it wasn't combined with the strength of the senshis' attacks.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

Light tried to counter with her Sunlight Burst, but the small orb missed the leaves entirely. Dark tried to counter after her sister's attack failed, but the electrified leaves had already come crashing into them.

Gathering themselves, Light and Dark linked hands, making them glow their respective colors- yellow for light and black for Dark. They both concentrated their power, preparing for their ultimate attack. Sailor Mercury scanned the pair to see their power levels, which at this point were incredible.

"Guys, if we don't do something quickly, they'll kill us all. They're preparing for their ultimate attack!"

"How do we counter it?" Sailor Mars asked.

"I guess we'll have to use the Sailor Planet Attack," Sailor Venus said.

The Sailor Team nodded and Sailor Venus started the attack.

"Venus Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Moon Eternal Power!"

Light and Dark finished their charge and shouted , "Lightning Burst!"

A little ball of black lightning and golden sparkles headed toward the senshi as they finished their attack.

"Sailor Planet Attack!"

The two attack collided in between the foes, the ball having burst into the combined powers of Light and Dark. After a bit of struggling, the senshis' attack overpowered that of the evil-doers and continued heading towards them. Light shouted an abysmal "NO!!" before being destroyed, along with her sister.

Sailor Uranus was impressed to say the least. It seemed to her as if the Sailor Team had gained some skill since the separation of the two teams. It seemed that she would not regret joining regret joining up with them after all.

A/N: Well, that's it- I have finally caught up on everything I had written for this story and now it's back to writing for it again. This will probably equal less oneshots and slower updates, but I'll try my best not to leave you guys hanging for too long. Besides, I have another chapter to type up for my other chapter fic along with another oneshot before I'm back to writing all together. Anyway, that's all for now! Hope everyone enjoyed! R&R please! Ja ne!


	15. Chapter 14: Illusions of the Whip

A/N: Moshi moshi mi-na! I know it's been a while since my last update, but like I said in the last chapter, I have to write them again, so it takes a little longer to update. I have an idea for my other chapter fic as well, so that shouldn't be too far off from this one. And of course, there's always oneshots to bide the time in between chapters (though I have been lacking lately on those due to lack of ideas). Anyway, before I repeat myself further, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: *cries in corner* Go away…. I'm sulking over the fact that I don't own the rights to Sailor Moon…. *continues to sob*

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 14: Illusions of the Whip

Calaveras sat on her bed in front of the mirror in her room, admiring her beauty while sipping a glass of red wine.

"Ah, Petz…" she said aloud to herself. "I always was the more beautiful one, and soon, I'll be the more successful one as well…"

She chuckled softly to herself as she thought of the glory she would receive when she came back with a sailor crystal, especially considering the fact that she would be succeeding after a string of failures.

----Scene Change----

Usagi, Ami, Rei and Makoto were sitting in the usual café they went to on weekends enjoying sweets and iced green tea. For once, it was peaceful- Usagi and Rei weren't arguing and the conversation about idols wasn't turning into a heated debate.

All was calm. Then, Minako came bursting through the doors with such a speed that the wind following her blew napkins off the counter and messed her friends' hair up.

"Minako…" the group mumbled angrily.

The blond with the bow giggled nervously and shrugged it off before holding up a piece of paper.

"Take a look at this, you guys. It could be my big chance!" she said as she handed the paper to the others. Ami took it and read it aloud.

"Talent competition for girls ages 14-19. Each girl will have 5-10 minutes to present their talent to a panel of five judges. Whoever wins will receive 10,000 yen and be made into a star. 20 participants maximum and registration for the first round of auditions is to be mad by May 4th. You can register at your local grocers (A/N: I didn't know what else to put! ^_^;). Good luck, young stars!"

"Wow," Rei remarked.

"So what is your talent going to be?" Usagi asked.

The rest of the group, all of whom knew the answer to that obvious question, sweatdropped. Minako took a microphone out of her pocket and prepped herself-

"Singing!" she shouted into the microphone, making everyone in the café cover their ears and cringe.

"Jeez, calm down or you're going to get us all kicked out!" Rei scolded, her temper rising.

"Anyway," the only person whose eardrums weren't recovering at the moment started," I was the first to audition and I made it to the second round of auditions!"

"Congratulations, Minako," Makoto said. "But what's with the microphone? It's not showtime yet."

"I'm going to practice mu singing wherever I go. Besides, there's always the chance that I'll be found by someone in the music industry who will offer me a record label after hearing my beautiful singing voice. I could become a star sooner than I anticipated!" Minako said gleefully with stars in her eyes.

"Now, now, vanity is never a good thing," Ami reminded her friend who had gone off in her own little dream world of fame and fortune.

'Bring me down why don't you, Ami…' Minako thought, pouting. She then checked her watch. "Oh my god!" she gasped.

"What is it?" Usagi asked, panic present in her voice.

"I'm going to be late for the second round of auditions! Gotta go guys!" On that note, she made a mad dash out of the café to go home and change into her stage outfit before the auditions.

"That girl…" Makoto said, shaking her head.

----Scene Change----

"Mina, I think you're overly concerned with this talent competition," Artemis said while his companion was deciding the best stage outfit.

"Why do you say that," Mnako asked as she held her top two outfits up to herself while looking in her full-length mirror.

"We have much bigger things to worry about, like our new enemies."

"No worries. We're doing fine now. Besides, I shouldn't hold off on my dreams just to fulfill my duties as a senshi. I can handle both at the same time."

Artemis sighed. 'I guess there's just no getting through to her…' he thought. 'I just hope she doesn't go overboard with this whole thing like she's done in the past.'

----Scene Change----

Calaveras was in front of her mirror in the main area of the villains' lair (A/N: Like I said in the beginning of this story, it's similar to Rubeus's space ship in the Black Moon arc), primping herself. Cooan walked up behind her.

"Going somewhere special tonight?" she teased.

"If you call an audition at a human talent show of the 20th century special," her sister replied, almost sounding bored.

"Ick. I would never do that, regardless of how beautiful and talented I am," Cooan said, a look of disgust on her face.

"I'm just doing it to get a sailor crystal."

"Sailor crystal? Whose?"

Calaveras put her lipstick away and looked at Cooan with one of the most evil looks she had ever seen.

"I'll leave that for you to figure out," she said and teleported away, leaving a slightly miffed clone of a rival to Sailor Mars behind.

----Scene Change----

The day of the final stage of the talent show had finally arrived. Both Minako and Calaveras had made it past all the audition rounds and were now standing next to each other in the line of 20 girls. Although the villainess knew the true identity of the girl standing next to her, her disguise and codename of "Casey" fooled the heroine.

As the audience finished filing in, the stage lights were put on the contestants.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show!" the announcer boomed. "Today, these 20 lovely ladies will duke it out to see who goes beyond the beauty, who has the talent that makes them extra special!"

The audience cheered.

"Now before we move on to the contestants, let's first meet our judges, starting from the left of the table. Tell us, miss, who are you?" the announcer shouted with enthusiasm, pointing his finger at the woman.

"Ruby Alrisot, advisor for the talent competition," she said.

The next one sitting at the table was a man, who like everyone else involved in the competition was almost too happy- to the point of being creepy, Minako thought.

"Akira Takayo, president of Juuban Industries (A/N: If that is a real company, I would be shocked.), the sponsor for the competition," he said.

The announcer picked up from here. "Our next judges need no introduction. Coming back after a long break, they are the one, the only… The Three Lights!"

The crowed roared as their favorite pop stars stood up and waved to them, basking in the attention. Minako gasped- she had spent so much time surveying the audience that she failed to notice Seiya, Yaten and Taiki sitting there. Seiya waved to her and winked as he sat back down in his seat, causing her to blush.

"Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let's move on to the competition, shall we?" the announcer said.

The audience cheered again.

"All right, first up is number 12! Number 12, why don't you step out of that line there and the rest of you can go backstage."

As the rest of the contestants moved backstage, Calaveras took out her whip.

"Miss, would you please introduce yourself and tell us what your talent is?"

"My name is Casey and I am the master of the whip."

"Is that so? How will you demonstrate that for us?"

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to demonstrate on you, sir."

The announcer was a little dumbfounded, but nodded his head, agreeing to volunteer.

"Good."

Calaveras cracked her whip on the stage floor. What was once on whip became five whips, the tails all stemming from one base. Calaveras lashed the whips at her bewildered volunteer and tied him up from head to toe, covering his mouth. The whips then broke off, but reappeared instantly. Unfortunately for the announcer, he remained tied up.

"Hey! You can't do that to our announcer!" Akira yelled at the villainess, who simply looked at him and did the same to him as she did to the announcer.

Panic spread throughout the auditorium. People were knocking each other over trying to get out before they were tied up with a psycho looming over them in their helpless state (A/N: I'm not saying Calaveras is a psycho, that's just what I think would be running through the heads of people caught in this situation.). Minako waited until the girls she was with followed suit, then took out her henshin stick.

"Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

Now that she was all suited up, she ran out to stop the clone of her rival from the Black Moon Clan. Just as she was about to give her big speech, she saw Calaveras laughing uncontrollably.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" the offended senshi of love yelled.

"You fell right into my trap."

"Wha-?"

Before the heroine could finish her sentence, she was bombarded by Calaveras's whips. She dodged four of them, but one caught her by her right ankle, bringing her to the ground. Calaveras wrapped the other whips around the rest of her limbs and neck and propped her up using them. Taking a small black dot out her pocket, she approached her adversary.

"Do you see this?" she said holding up the object in her fingers. "This little dot has the power to take away your sailor crystal. All I have to do is place it right on the stone in that tiara of yours and it will do its job. And in your helpless state, you can't even release your Crescent Beam from said stone, so there's no way for you to stop me."

The villainess smirked, reveling in her perceived victory, and slowly moved her fingers toward Sailor Venus's forehead. She was less than an inch away when suddenly a ball of light knocked her away, causing her to drop her dot. Looking up, she saw a long black boot crush the dot into itty bitty pieces and scowled.

Sailor Venus, who had been released due to the fact that Calaveras had never detached the whips from their base, shouted thankfully, "Sailor Starlights!"

Yaten went over to her and helped her up. He didn't say a word, but she smiled to show her thanks.

Calaveras regained her composure and faced her new opposition. "You may have crushed one of my little friends, but I have plenty more where that came from. I came prepared to get a sailor crystal no matter what and that is just what I'll do!"

She cracked her whip on the stage floor again, increasing her total number of tails to ten.

"Whips of Illusion!"

The whips started swirling in a frenzied pattern and shot out. The senshi tried to watch the direction they were going in, but certain whips appeared to be more visible than others. They tried dodging as best they could, but the whips were too confusing to keep track of and each of them were knocked off the stage. Calaveras came to the edge of the stage and looked down upon them triumphantly.

"This is my stage and Sailor Venus, your sailor crystal is mine as well."

The villainess threw a black dot at Sailor Venus's forehead in a second attempt to steal her sailor crystal. Unexpectedly, the dot shattered on impact. Sailor Venus had seen the dot behind the evil-doer's back and prepared her Crescent Beam on her forehead. When the dot came to it, the power that she was holding activated and shattered the dot.

"You're wrong, Calaveras," the senshi of love said standing up. "This is MY stage! Venus Rose- Love Spotlight!"

The spotlight of justice shone on Calaveras and attacked her with its five star-point hearts, causing her to keel over and be vulnerable to attack.

"We'll finish the job," Sailor Star Fighter said motioning to his comrades. "Star Serious Laser!"

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

The three attacks combined and made their way towards the villainess. The monstrosity of power which was even able to harm Galaxia during the time when she was evil was virtually unavoidable and it destroyed the significantly weaker villainess on stage (A/N: Now Calaveras is by no means weak, but she is nowhere near the level of power Galaxia had. I'm going to take a wild guess that things would probably work out this way.)

Before the victorious senshi had time to rejoice, they were on guard again as they heard someone, or rather a group of people bursting through the door.

"Are we late for the competion?!" Rei asked/yelled as she panted.

"Oh man, I think we missed it! No one is here!" Makoto groaned.

Everyone started arguing as to whose fault it was that they were "late." Luckily, Taiki intervened.

"You aren't late," he said. "The competition wasn't able to be completed due to a run-in with one of the Shadow Warriors. No worries, though, the four of us took care of her."

"Well, Calaveras may be dead but so is my chance of becoming a star today," Sailor Venus said with a huff.

"Look on the bright side- there's always more chances and there are sure to be many more that you can attend once our enemy is defeated entirely," Ami tried to reassure her friend.

"Great, I already heard that from Artemis, now I have to hear it from you guys, too."

Her friends giggled and she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it now. I'm sure you'll make it one day," Sailor Star Healer uncharacteristically said with a wink.

Sailor Venus blushed for the second time that day. She heard it before, but when it came from someone she didn't expect, it seemed to hit home for once.

'Yaten is right,' she thought. 'It may not be today or tomorrow, but one day, one day I will achieve my dream, so I shouldn't rush."

She smiled at him and decided to put her eagerness off to the side for awhile.

A/N: Well, folks, that's it for this chappy. Oh, I just realized that the November 17th marked the one year anniversary of this fic! It's hard to believe I've been working on it that long. Hopefully, though, it won't take me to the second anniversary to finish it. I'm wondering if I should play with a YatenxMinako romance. I think I kind of hinted at it in this chapter, but I don't know if I should go through with it. What do you guys think? Leave your opinions in a (much appreciated) review! Ja ne!


	16. Chapter 15: Premonition

A/N: Moshi moshi mi-na! It's been a long time since I updated this fic, longer than I expected. On the bright side, there's more plot development! Haven't had that in a while. I have more news- this fic is reaching it's end! There's only about ten chapters left! It may not seem like almost finished to you guys, but after working on this for over a year, it feels like a finish line being crossed to me! Anyway, enough of my blabbering, enjoy!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailor Moon. I think most people get that by now (stupid lawyers...).

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 15: Premonition

At three in the morning, most people were sound asleep in their beds, recharging for the day to come. The crackling of a sacred flame was all that could be heard in the otherwise silent Tokyo. However, a certain shinto priestess was wide awake, and she was looking into said flame for answers.

As of late, Rei had been having recurring nightmares and visions warning eminent doom. These were fuzzy, always showing little more than shadows and strange shapes. Most would play these off as being nightmares, but the sinking feeling Rei got whenever she had them made her think otherwise, which is the precise reason for her current flame reading. She had been in front of it for quite some time now with no luck, but nonetheless she pressed onward into the late hours, determined to find answers.

"Please," she said as she tossed another sacred scroll into the fire, "show me the meaning of my dreams."

Suddenly, the fire flared, almost touching the ceiling. Rei's eyes grew wide as she felt a wave of darkness flow through her, indicating that she had discovered the answer she was looking for. Once the flame calmed down, she peered into it to see her answer in image form.

What she saw horrified her. Not since the Death Busters had she seen visions so terrible. Darkness had engulfed the Earth, but unlike the visions she had concerning the Death Busters,it appeared as though the people were not dead. Instead, they were lined up in thousands of rows as shadowy figures with red eyes, almost like an army. High above their heads were five giant figures, whose features were blackened- not even their eyes showed. The vision then panned over, revealing all the Sailor Senshi- the Inners, the Outers, and the Starlights- strewn across the ground, seemingly dead. The only one missing was Sailor Moon.

Rei didn't have to wait to find out what the fate of the senshi of the moon was, however. The vision panned over once again, revealing Sailor Moon in what looked like the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, she was surrounded by the shadowy humans. They attacked her as she screamed for help and tried to fend them off, but to no avail. Laughing could be heard coming from the five giant figures as Sailor Moon was slowly ripped to shreds by the people she had tried to protect.

Abruptly, the vision ended and the fire went out without cause. Rei sat in front of the place the fire had once burned panting. Was this really what was to become of them and the Earth?

Deciding this was too much to deal with at the moment, Rei decided to go to bed. She needed her rest, as she felt she would have to be more alert than ever now that she saw their potential future. She also decided against mentioning it to Usagi and the others. However, tomorrow she planned to consult her findings with the other senshi shown to have psychic abilities- Michiru, a.k.a. Sailor Neptune.

A/N: I know, I know this chapter was _extremely short_, but I planned it that way. I hope all of you enjoyed it anyway. And yes, I am trying to make my story be in a similar fashion to the third season of the show, in case you haven't noticed already. I love me some dark and brooding! ^_^ Well, that's all for now! Remember to R&R, please! Ja ne!


	17. Chapter 16: The Little Mermaid

A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! I am so sorry for deserting this fic for the longest time. On the bright side, my muse is back and in full swing, so there will be plenty of chapters and oneshots to come! Since you all have been waiting so patiently already, I won't make you wait any longer. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon. Not me. How sad T-T.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 16: The Little Mermaid

Ami was sitting at home studying while listening to the news on the television in the background. She hadn't been listening that closely, her mind sort of grazing over the day-to-day news, until she heard the classic slogan, "Breaking News!" She stopped studying for a moment and focused all of her attention on the newscaster.

"Recent reports of men disappearing down at the beach have caused quite a stir. Beach goers say that the men see what looks like a mermaid and appear to be put into a trance-like state, making them walk like zombies into the water. However, when friends and family go looking for them, they are nowhere to be found. Police officials have conducted numerous searches for these lost men over the past few days, but have turned up no results. We will have more on this story as more information comes in."

Ami turned off the television.

"That's awfully suspicious…" she said. "I'd better go check it out."

-Scene Change-

"How long are you going to keep up this ridiculous mermaid charade, Fish-Eye?" Beruche asked the villain who now had seven men trapped in glass boxes beneath the ocean.

"Until the sailor senshi show up," Fish-Eye responded. "They're bound to soon- stories of men disappearing at the beach have been all over the news."

"Why are you keeping those men anyway?" Esmeraude questioned, slightly jealous.

"What point would there be in letting them go? Not only are they good eye candy, but the facet that no one can find them adds to the fact that they could either be dead or in immediate danger, prompting the sailor senshi to come sooner."

"Wow you really thought this one out. I'm surprised," Tiger's-Eye teased.

"Shut up, Tiger's Eye!" the blue-haired villain shouted, red in the face. "I think I'll get back to work now. See ya!"

"Man, he's so fun to tease," Tiger's-Eye chuckled.

-Scene Change-

It was close to midnight when Ami left to go to the beach. She hadn't wanted to go earlier in order to avoid the mess of people that were sure to be there (it was close to summer after all) and would be sure to think that she was up to something. After all, how many people just walk around with a mini super computer?

As she was walking the sandy shore, computer in hand and searching for clues, she started to hear the small noise of footsteps in the sand. She looked around for the source of the noise, getting ready to pull out her henshin stick if needed.

"Calm down," a voice said startling Ami. Turning around, the blue-haired senshi came face to face with a friend, much to her surprise.

"Michiru?"

"I'm assuming you heard the news reports about the mermaid that steals men and decided to search for answers. Am I correct?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, my computer seems unable to find anything and I can't see anything myself."

"Hmm…" Michiru muttered, narrowing her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a bright blue light in the distance. Michiru and Ami looked at each other to make sure they weren't hallucinating, then ran over to where the shore breaks into ocean. An echo of giggling could be heard and the glint of bright blue light turned into bright blue eyes, then into the figure of a mermaid glittering in the moonlight laying atop a smooth rock.

"I'm so glad you finally showed up, pumpkins," the mermaid said. "I was getting bored waiting. Well, I guess I can drop this charade now."

"Fish-Eye! So you were the one who was stealing those men!" Ami shouted.

The villain giggled.

"Yes, all in an attempt to lure you out. Some heroes you are, though. I expected you to come out much sooner."

"Where are you keeping the men?" Michiru questioned.

"I'm not telling. You'll have to beat me if you want to find out," Fish-Eye replied.

"Fine then. Neptune Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"A battle of water and ice. This should be interesting," Fish-Eye commented as he sent a horizontal pillar of water at the two senshi. They quickly dodged out of its path.

"Deep Submerge!"

The villain dived into the water to avoid the attack.

"Where'd she go?" Sailor Mercury shouted.

A loud rumble could be heard before a giant wave was formed with Fish-Eye sitting on top of it.

"Move!" Sailor Neptune commanded.

Sailor Mercury and Sailor Neptune tried to run away from the incoming wave, but to no avail. The wave crashed into them hard, sending them to the outermost part of the beach and leaving them gasping for breath.

"I think we need to call for help," Sailor Mercury said.

"I'll cover you," Sailor Neptune responded.

Luckily, Fish-Eye, who had returned to his perch on the smooth rock, was laughing so hard at his enemies' pathetic state theat the senshi of the sea had enough time to compose herself a bit before attacking.

"Deep Submerge!"

Fish-Eye just barely managed to catch himself and avoid being hit. He sent another horizontal pillar at Sailor Neptune, who dodged in turn.

"Mercury Rose- Ice Spike Blizzard!"

Knowing that it would be nearly impossible to dodge the attack, Fish-Eye put up a barrier of water, which was turned into an icy wall by Sailor Mercury's attack.

_Perfect…_ the villain thought, preparing to dive back into the water while he was hidden by the icy wall and do a sneak attack. Just as he was about to, however, the wall was shattered. He shielded himself as best he could from the flying chunks of ice, but still ended up taking a little bit of damage. Opening his eyes, he glared at the attacker.

"Wow, that was awfully quick," Sailor Mercury remarked in reference to the rest of the Sailor Team, all of whom had shown up.

"We actually were in the area," Sailor Venus said. "I tried calling you, but I guess this is why you didn't pick up."

"Look out!" Sailor Neptune shouted, seeing an incoming barrage of smaller water pillars. The senshi just barely managed to dodge each one of them successfully.

"Mars Rose- Ember Explosion!"

Fish-Eye retaliated with a giant push of water in the hope of dousing the attack. It was working just fine until Sailor Jupiter used her Jupiter Oak Evolution and entwined the fire senshi's attack with lightning. The water ended up coming back to Fish-Eye, mixed with the other attacks, and when the embers gathered into the giant fireball and exploded, the sheer power nearly knocked the villain out. To add insult to injury, when he was flung into the water the electricity was still teeming through his body, so he was electrocuted even further. Strength almost drained, he slowly swam back to the shore, not his perch, with the hope (which had previously failed him) of getting an attack in before the senshi realized where he went. Unfortunately for him, he was spotted.

"Venus Rose- Love Spotlight!"

He didn't even bother trying to move. He resigned himself to his fate. As he felt the pain of the five star points hitting his stomach, he closed his eyes and silently waited for the final blow.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

As soon as Fish-Eye was destroyed, all seven me appeared out of thin air on the shore. They seemed to be unconscious but the senshi checked their vitals just to be sure. Once they knew everything was ok, Usagi, Makoto, and Minako went back to shopping, this time including Ami. However, Rei chose to stay behind and talk to Michiru a bit.

"Have you been getting visions lately?" she asked fairly bluntly.

"No, but I sense that the sea is in turmoil. I haven't felt such violent tides since we fought the Death Busters."

"I haven't had visions as bad as these since the Death Busters, either. They're just… terrible."

"What happens in you visions?"

"All of us… Inners, Outers, Starlights… we all die. The only one who is left is Sailor Moon. Then… she dies in the most terrible way imaginable…."

"I'll discuss this with Haruka and Setsuna. I think it might be a good idea if the four of us meet in the near future. We are the four who are most in tune with our psychic abilities. We may even be able to include Hotaru, as her psychic abilities are developing at an increasing rate. We can meet tomorrow. I advise you not tell the others- there's no sense in getting them worried."

"Okay. I'll meet you at five."

Michiru nodded her head and the two departed.

A/N: That's right folks, Hotaru's going to be appearing in the next chapter (I just realized I haven't included her since Chapter 6). The story is really heating up now! I must warn all of you that the story is most likely going to get increasingly darker as time goes on. I hope that doesn't ruin it for any of you. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! More excitement in the next! R&R please! Ja ne!


	18. Chapter 17: Precursor to Doom

A/N: Moshi moshi mi-na! I have resigned myself to the fact that I stink at updating stories at a consistent rate. Sorry for that. On the bright side, I can assure you that there are no rushed chapters in any of my fics, including this one. That kind of evens things out, doesn't it? Huh? **Silence** Ok, maybe not. I'll just get on with the fic now.

Disclaimer: If I had the rights to Sailor Moon, the series still wouldn't have stopped. Obviously, since it's been over ten years since the end of the series, I don't own the rights to Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon and the Shadow Warriors

Chapter 17: Precursor to Doom

Rei arrived at the Outer Senshi's flat promptly at five and rang the doorbell. No one answered, so she knocked. Still no answer.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone in there?"

She waited a few minutes, and was about to leave when the door finally opened. Rei turned around to see Michiru standing there with a solemn expression on her face.

"Sorry it took so long to answer the door, please come in," the senshi of water said.

Rei nodded and walked in. The air in the flat was heavy, and she sensed that something was amiss.

"Michiru... is something wrong?" she asked.

"Yes. Come to the master bedroom," Michiru responded.

Rei followed her into the master bedroom and was shocked at the sight in front of her. On the bed lie Haruka, extremely sick and weak. Hotaru was currently changing the wetcloth on her head while Setsuna prepared some tea for her in the kitchen. Michiru knelt down beside the bed and held her lover's hand.

"Michiru..." Haruka barely managed to get out.

The sea-green haired woman held her lover's hand even tighter and put her head on her chest. In turn, the blond put her hand on her head. While it was a very sweet sight to see, it was also a very sad one, almost tragic. Haruka looked like she was dying, and Michiru looked like she was at her wit's end, unable to do anything to help her lover.

"Here's some tea, Haruka," Setsuna said, handing the cup to Haruka.

"Thank you," Hauka replied, setting the cup of tea down on the table by the bed.

Setsuna looked at Rei and motioned for her to follow her into the living room. Rei understood that what was about to be said was meant to be private, so she followed.

"What's going on?" Rei asked. "Haruka never gets sick. Why does she look near death now when just a couple weeks ago she was perfectly healthy?"

"Her current condition was caused by unnatural causes," Setsuna answered. "We think it has something to do with our the Shadow Warriors."

"But how would they be able to make her sick?"

"We don't know, and that's the frightening part. Not only that, Hotaru says she can feel their power getting stronger, possibly as a result of using Small Lady's sailor crystal for fuel. However, that's another thing we don't know for sure."

"Have you seen any other signs of their power getting stronger?"

"Not yet, but-"

Suddenly, Rei's communicator beeped. She opened it and saw Usagi bawling her eyes out.

"Rei! It's terrible! You have to come over to Mamo-chan's house right now!"

"Calm down, Usagi, what's going on?"

"Mamo-chan-he-he-"

"Ok ok, I'll be there as soon as I can," Rei said as she closed her communicator. "I'm sorry Setsuna, but I really have to go."

"It's ok, I'll tell the others. Now go, quickly!"

"Right."

-Scene Change-

Rei rushed up the stairs to Mamoru's apartment and rang the doorbell. Minako answered the door with a grimace on her face and stepped aside to let her in.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi shouted as he came running up to her and hugged her, crying into her chest.

Rei surveyed the room to find out what could possibly be wrong. She found her answer in the form of Mamoru, who was lying on his bed in the same state as Haruka.

"Usako..." Mamoru barely managed to get out.

Then, the same scene that played out at the Outer Senshi's flat played out in Mamoru's apartment. Usagi with her head on his chest, while he had a hand on her head. The only difference between the two scenes was that Usagi was crying while Michiru to keep herself level headed.

Rei remained silent and joined the others crowding around the couple and making sure Mamoru was okay.

_First Haruka, now Mamoru. Is the enemy really getting that much stronger? Is this another sign of impending destruction? Can we stop it this time?_

All these thoughts ran through Rei's head as she began chanting in the hopes of warding off the evil.

-Scene Change-

"Good job, Esmeraude," the masters said to their servant who had cast the spell that caused the illness in Mamoru and Haruka.

Esmeraude bowed. "Now what?"

"Now we shall start taking down the other senshi one by one. Seek, single out, and destroy..."

A/N: Dramatic ending! Or at least I hope it's dramatic, not just awkward. Well, I hope you all enjoyed! Now, I feel I must mention that I only have two reviews for this story. I appreciate them greatly, but I do wish I had more. I've been working really hard on this story for almost two years now, and I know a lot of people read it. I'm not trying to be bitchy or anything, just making a point. Besides, reviews give me more motivation to update the story, and we're reaching the climax. So please, please, R&R! Ja ne!


End file.
